Ibadan, Feb. 11, 2026 (NAN) The St. Louis Old Girls’ Association (SLOGA), Ibadan, has empowered 36 students from their alma mater with digital skills in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics to prepare them for in-demand careers in tech, engineering, and related fields.
The 12-week digital training was part of activities lined up for the celebration of the school’s 65th anniversary and International Day for Women and Girls in Science.
Speaking during the closing ceremony of the training on Wednesday in Ibadan, the President of SLOGA Ibadan Chapter, Mrs. Eniola Oyedele, said the training, sponsored by Wema Bank, aimed to help students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, preparing them for real-world challenges.
Oyedele, a Regional Manager at Wema Bank, said the bank remains at the forefront among institutions deploying AI for its operations and has decided to train students on AI and Robotics through its Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programme to prepare them for a tech-driven world.
“This is part of our ‘catch them young’ programme. If we give these girls the opportunity to learn necessary skills at an early stage, they will be able to impact their tomorrow and the society at large,” she said.
The Programme Facilitator, Engr. Raheemat Adabanija, said the girls have been trained on how to use the embedded system, artificial intelligence, robotics, and other IT skills to carry out projects.
“We also trained them on project presentation and communication skills. This is a very laudable initiative deployed by St. Louis Old Girls’ Association in partnership with Wema Bank to give back to the school.
“The old girls are also presenting a gift of a laptop to the best student, while the best three groups out of the total six groups that participated in the project will also be rewarded with cash gifts,” she said.
Prof. Adenike Osofisan, the first female professor of Computer Science in Africa, commended SLOGA, saying learning has gone beyond reading and writing, but now included reading, writing, and the ability to compute with IT skills.
“We are in the era of AI, cyber security, robotics, and other technologies, so it is very important for our school children to be trained on these skills to expose them to what they can do to make life easier and better,” she said.
The Chairman of the Nigerian Computer Society, Oyo State Chapter, Mr. Joseph Bamgbade, appealed to the government to support the continuity of the project.
According to him, the initiative is exposing secondary school students to tech skills that many university graduates were not privileged to know during their undergraduate studies.
“It is a laudable project that the government must encourage, especially in public schools, to guarantee a digital future for our children,” he said.
The overall best student, SS2 Mary Oyetunji speaking on behalf of other beneficiaries of the training, commended the old students’ association and Wema Bank for the gesture.
She said the training was an eye-opener to the numerous career opportunities in the tech space.
Projects presented by the students include: home intelligence security system, smart vehicle parking system and smart dustbin.
Others are remote control robotics car, rain aware clothes automatic drying system and smart traffic light with pedestrian button. (NAN)
