Ethiopia, Tanzania young innovators shine at national finals

A vibrant display of innovation, creativity, and passion filled the United Nations Conference Center as Ethiopia’s brightest young minds convened for the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) National Competitions.

From ingenious AI-driven robots to sustainability-focused solutions, the national competitions, held concurrently in Ethiopia and Tanzania, showcased a promising future for technology and problem-solving among Africa’s youth.

A total of 100 finalists, including 30 female competitors, represented 14 STEM centers across Ethiopia in the national competition, showcasing 37 projects that explored the intersection of robotics, STEM, and sustainability. These projects included 11 from Addis Ababa and 26 from centers outside the capital, embracing a diverse representation of both urban and rural areas.

Meanwhile, the Tanzania National Competition at the University of Dar es Salaam, featured 39 students across 12 groups, who successfully showcased their innovative model solutions focused on environmental and safety challenges. Tanzania’s boot camp engaged six schools, training a total of 289 students, including two boys’ schools, two girls’ schools, and two mixed schools including students with special needs.

The digital skills development is part of a landmark initiative by Google, the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Camden Education, and STEMPower Ethiopia. This initiative aims to upskill over 9,000 young African students and 200 teachers in computer science, AI and robotics across 14 African countries.

“We are thrilled to see Ethiopia’s young innovators competing at such a high level,” said Mr. Claver Gatete, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). “This competition not only showcases creativity but also demonstrates Africa’s potential to lead in technological solutions to our continent’s most pressing challenges.”

This year’s WRO theme, “Earth Allies,” challenged young innovators to focus on eco-friendly solutions, highlighting the pressing need for innovative approaches to sustainability. The national competitions aimed to present projects that reflect the core principles of the WRO – which is to showcase young people’s creativity while ensuring strong representation for Africa at the WRO global competition. Students had the option to select their hardware and software to develop local robotic model solutions that address sustainable development objectives, including waste management, inclusive social services, and infrastructure modeling in transport, public health, and safety, among others.

ECA’s Executive Secretary, Claver Gatete, emphasized the importance of digital skills development: “The digital economy in Africa is projected to reach $712 billion by 2050, but only 11% of Africa’s tertiary graduates received formal digital training in 2022. We must invest in digital skills to equip our youth and close the gender gap in technology. Today is just the first step towards a brighter, inclusive digital future for all.”

Ethiopia’s State Minister of Innovation and Technology Yeshrun Alemayehu, stated, “The Ministry is committed to creating an enabling environment for innovation and entrepreneurship in Ethiopia. We are investing in research and development, promoting digital literacy, and supporting the growth of technology startups. Innovation is the key to unlocking our nation’s full potential.”

Pren-Tsilya Boa-Guehe, Head of Google Government Affairs and Public Policy, highlighted the impact of these collaborations: “Our partnership with ECA and others aims to provide young African learners with opportunities to explore their curiosities, learn digital skills, and ultimately, be prepared to embrace the 4th Industrial Revolution.”

Simenew Keskes Melaku, Country Director of STEMpower Inc., added: “The WRO is not just about winning—it’s about building solutions for Africa’s most pressing issues. We are investing in our youth, enabling them to think creatively, solve problems, and become future leaders in technology.”

The competition culminated after months of preparation, which included training over 600 students in Ethiopia and 289 in Tanzania, engaging a total of more than 40 STEM centers. This initiative was made possible through the collaborative efforts of STEMPower and local universities, such as Addis Ababa Science and Technology University (AASTU) and the University of Dar es Salaam, particularly its Physics Department.

The excitement peaked as the winners of the WRO Ethiopia competition were announced. The first-place award went to the ADAPTA-Multipurpose Robot from Kotebe STEM Center, followed by the Autonomous Diseases and Nutrient Analyzer Robot from Kallamino STEM Center in second place. Taking home third place was the Fish Farming Robot from Addis Ababa Science and Technology University (AASTU) STEM Center. The journey for the first-place winning team continues on the global WRO2024 stage in Izmir, Turkey, from November 28 to 30 2024. Tanzania’s Azania Secondary School students emerged as the overall winners, showcasing their Automatic Wild and City Fire Fighting Robot, which will represent Tanzania at the WRO 2024 finals.

The initiative highlighted effective collaboration between private, intergovernmental, and academic institutions in bridging the digital divide and empowering Africa’s youth to lead and innovate in a technology-driven world.

Mactar Seck, Chief at ECA’s Emerging and Frontier Technologies, Innovation and Digital Transformation Section, concluded the event by reaffirming ECA’s commitment to build further on the partnership: “There’s more work to be done to ensure Africa’s youth are ready for the digital future through STEAM education, coding and basic digital skills development to bridge existing gaps and build a sustainable and inclusive digital ecosystem.”

With the conclusion of the national finals, champions from Ethiopia and Tanzania are now preparing for the next big step—competing for the Future Innovators category at the global WRO finals in Turkey, where they will represent Team Africa.