In Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, the African University of Science and Technology (AUST) is taking part in a rising position in a continent-wide push to strengthen superior Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) training — whereas opening new pathways for girls to guide in scientific fields traditionally dominated by males.
Supported by the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), AUST is a part of a regional community of postgraduate centres of excellence designed to domesticate Africa’s subsequent era of researchers and innovators.
Building World-Class Research Capacity Across Africa
Through the Nelson Mandela Institute – African Institutions of Science and Technology (NMI–AIST) Project, carried out in two phases from 2010 till its conclusion in 2022, the AfDB supported three flagship establishments:
-
International Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering (2iE), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
-
African University of Science and Technology (AUST), Abuja, Nigeria
-
Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Arusha, Tanzania
Together, these centres kind a pan-African community delivering world-class postgraduate coaching, strengthening analysis ecosystems, and anchoring scientific options to growth challenges throughout the continent.
Within this community, AUST represents Nigeria’s participation and has emerged as a key hub for advancing girls’s inclusion in science.
Women in Science and Engineering Initiative Driving Change
A significant power behind this progress is AfDB’s Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) initiative, which promotes entry, management, and visibility for girls in high-impact STEM fields.
Through scholarships, mentorship, and analysis help, WiSE has enabled girls students to:
-
Pursue superior levels
-
Access gear and world analysis networks
-
Contribute to scientific innovation
-
Move into management roles in academia, business and nationwide analysis establishments
Spotlight on Emerging Women Scientific Leaders
Among the programme’s beneficiaries is Dr Aisha Aminu, a mathematician specialising in nonlinear operator concept. Her doctoral research have been financed via the NMI–AIST venture, serving to place her as an rising chief in superior mathematical analysis.
In 2025, she was chosen for the distinguished Heidelberg Laureate Forum, becoming a member of a number of the world’s most promising younger researchers.
“Receiving the African Development Bank Group financing to study at AUST connected me to mentors, equipment and a research community I wouldn’t have had access to otherwise,” she mentioned. “That support helped me stay the course and aim even higher.”
Another AfDB-supported alumna, Dr Stella Nwachukwu-Dozie, is conducting pioneering work on biosynthesised gold nanoparticles for focused breast most cancers remedy.
She now serves as Principal Laboratory Scientist at Nigeria’s National Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Advanced Laboratory (SHESTCO), demonstrating how Bank-funded coaching is translating into nationally related scientific experience.
STEM Support Begins Before University
The AfDB’s dedication to girls in science begins effectively earlier than postgraduate examine.
In Nigeria, project-backed actions have included STEM outreach in secondary faculties, together with:
-
A 2021 marketing campaign reaching 310 college students, together with 279 women
-
Coding camps designed to spark early curiosity in expertise careers amongst teenage women
These efforts purpose to strengthen the pipeline of younger girls getting into scientific and engineering pathways.
Strong Results at AUST Abuja
The affect of the venture is mirrored in measurable outcomes at AUST:
-
398 MSc and PhD graduates, with girls representing roughly 35 %
-
149 visiting school missions, enhancing instructing high quality and supervision
-
Upgraded laboratories, ICT infrastructure, and expanded entry to scientific journals
-
Significant development in peer-reviewed scientific output
Scholarships have been central to increasing entry, with:
-
115 MSc awards
-
90 PhD awards
Supporting college students from throughout Africa.
The college’s AUSTInspire hub has additionally helped nurture round 15 student- and faculty-led startups, strengthening hyperlinks between analysis and entrepreneurship.
Research Tackling Africa’s Development Challenges
Research underway at AUST is targeted on high-impact areas together with:
-
Cancer care, in partnership with the National Hospital Abuja
-
Nanoparticle-based remediation for oil-spill zones in the Niger Delta
-
Sustainable building supplies and vitality programs
These tasks spotlight how superior STEM coaching is being utilized to urgent nationwide and regional priorities.
A Model for Inclusive Growth and Long-Term Resilience
This Nigeria highlight displays the broader achievements of the NMI–AIST Project throughout Africa — notably in advancing girls in STEM — and demonstrates how AfDB investments are serving to construct the scientific management wanted for inclusive development and long-term resilience.
By strengthening establishments like AUST, supporting girls researchers, and linking science to real-world growth challenges, the African Development Bank Group helps Africa form a future pushed by innovation, fairness and homegrown experience.