Africa’s largest nation is slowly embracing women in STEM fields

Festus Iyorah

Virginia Odor’s plans for a college education weren’t different from those of thousands of other young Nigerian women. She would study theater art, staying away from the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields that men have long dominated in this West African nation.

But in 2014, the 14-year-old joined Odyssey Educational Foundation, a coding initiative based in Abuja, the capital. Her dreams have changed, and she isn’t alone. Odor is part of a silent revolution shaking Africa’s largest economy.

Odyssey is among a growing number of initiatives sprouting up across Nigeria that is teaching young women and girls coding and other software skills, opening doorways to careers in STEM fields. Unsurprisingly, many of these efforts are led by women motivated by a combination of their relative privilege and a desire to take on the deep-seated gender stereotypes that have defined previous generations.

Girls Coding, an initiative of