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| W.TEC is equipping Nigerian girls with practical skills in AI, cybersecurity, electronics, content creation and other areas of technology. Designed by ZpotHub News |
If you give a Nigerian girl a smartphone, she will probably figure out TikTok in 10 minutes. Give her a laptop and she will be on Instagram, YouTube, and WhatsApp before dinner.
That is what using technology looks like today.
The Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre, W.TEC, is asking a different question. What happens if we teach her how to build the apps, instead of just scrolling them?
That is the whole idea behind what W.TEC is doing in 2026. Move girls from being consumers of technology to being the ones who create it, fix it, and use it to solve real problems.
I spoke with W.TEC Executive Director and founder Oreoluwa Lesi in Lagos this week. Her message was simple and direct.
"We don’t want girls to just be users," she said. "We want them to be creators, innovators, and problem-solvers."
FROM SCROLLING TO BUILDING
Think about it. Most of us learned technology by using it. We learned how to send a text, how to edit a photo, how to post a video. That is fine. But it is only half the story.
W.TEC believes Nigerian girls should also learn what is happening behind the screen. How does an app work? How do you protect data? How do you use AI to help a farmer or a trader? How do you build something instead of just downloading it?
The goal is not to turn every girl into a software engineer by force. The goal is to open the door early, so they can decide for themselves.
"When you start young, you stop thinking technology is only for boys," Lesi said. "You start thinking, I can do this too."
That mindset shift matters a lot in Nigeria, where the tech industry is growing fast but where girls and women are still underrepresented in coding rooms, AI labs, and cybersecurity teams.
INSIDE SHE CREATES CAMP 2026
One of the main ways W.TEC is doing this is through its She Creates Camp. The 2026 edition is already running, and it looks different from a typical summer class.
It is not lectures all day. It is hands-on. The girls are building, testing, breaking things, and building again.
The camp is bringing girls together to learn practical skills in a few key areas. And W.TEC picked these areas deliberately, because they are where the jobs and opportunities are heading.
First is artificial intelligence. AI sounds big and scary, but the camp breaks it down. Girls learn what AI actually is, how it makes decisions, and how they can use simple AI tools to solve problems in their schools and communities. Imagine an AI project that helps track attendance, or sorts information for a small business. That is the kind of thinking they are encouraging.
Second is cybersecurity. As more of our lives move online, keeping data safe is becoming a big deal. Banks, hospitals, schools, even small shops need people who understand how to protect systems. The girls at camp are learning the basics. How hackers think. How to build safer passwords. How to spot scams. It is not just theory. They do exercises and simulations.
Third is content creation and filmmaking. This is where a lot of girls light up. Because content creation is already part of their world. But W.TEC is teaching the professional side. Storytelling, shooting, editing, branding. How to turn a phone and an idea into a business. In 2026, creators are building real companies. W.TEC wants girls to be part of that economy, not just watch it.
Fourth is electronics and hands-on projects. This is the part where they get to touch hardware. Circuit boards, sensors, small devices. They build things that actually do something. A simple weather monitor. A basic alarm. A gadget that solves a small problem at home.
When a girl builds something with her own hands and it works, something changes. She stops being afraid of technology.
WHY THIS MATTERS FOR NIGERIA
Nigeria’s digital economy is not slowing down. If anything, it is speeding up.
We have fintech companies raising millions. We have AI startups. We have a huge creative industry in music, film, and digital media. We have more people selling online than ever before.
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But here is the challenge. If we do not grow our own talent, we will keep importing it. Or we will keep watching opportunities go to the same small group of people.
Girls make up half the population. If half the population is not fully participating in tech, we are leaving ideas on the table.
Oreoluwa Lesi put it plainly. "Diversity is not just a nice word. Different people bring different solutions. If we want technology that works for everyone in Nigeria, we need everyone building it."
And it is not just about big tech companies. It is about local problems. A girl in Ilorin might build an app that helps market women track their stock. A girl in Port Harcourt might design a simple device that helps monitor water quality. A girl in Abuja might create digital content that teaches other kids about cybersecurity.
Those solutions come from people who understand the problem firsthand.
THE SKILLS THAT OPEN DOORS
The camp is not promising that every participant will become a CEO next year. That would not be honest.
What it is promising is a foundation.
The girls are learning skills that can lead to many different paths. Software development. Data analysis. Cybersecurity. Digital marketing. Video production. Electronics. Entrepreneurship.
They are also learning soft skills that matter just as much. Teamwork. Problem solving. How to present an idea. How to fail and try again.
For many of them, this is the first time they have been in a room where building technology is treated as normal for girls. That matters. Representation changes what you think is possible.
Parents are noticing too. One mother told me her daughter came home and started explaining how phishing works. "I didn’t even know she knew those words," she said.
NIGERIA’S DIGITAL FUTURE NEEDS A PIPELINE
Government and private sector leaders keep talking about Nigeria’s digital economy. And they are right to. It is one of our biggest advantages.
But an economy needs people. It needs a pipeline of young people who understand technology and can apply it.
That is where initiatives like W.TEC come in. They are not replacing universities. They are starting earlier. They are catching girls in secondary school and showing them what is possible.
If we do this well, in 5 or 10 years we will have more Nigerian women in AI research, in cybersecurity firms, in creative agencies, in startups. Not because someone gave them a quota, but because they were prepared early.
BREAKING THE "BOYS ONLY" MYTH
Let’s talk about the stereotype for a second.
In a lot of schools, when there is a computer club or a robotics team, it is mostly boys. Girls join if they feel brave. Sometimes teachers even expect boys to be "better" at tech.
Programs like She Creates Camp push back on that directly. The room is full of girls. The instructors are women. The projects are led by girls.
That environment does two things. It builds confidence. And it normalizes the idea that technology is for everyone.
Lesi said one of the most common things she hears from parents after camp is, "My daughter now wants to study computer science." That was not on her radar before.
MORE THAN CODING
It is important to say that W.TEC is not only teaching coding.
Yes, coding is part of it. But they are also teaching how to think like a creator.
How do you identify a problem?
How do you design a solution?
How do you test it with real people?
How do you turn it into something people will actually use?
And for the girls interested in content, they are learning how to build a brand, how to tell a story, how to use technology to reach an audience.
This matters because the digital economy is not just engineers. It is designers, storytellers, marketers, and entrepreneurs. All of those roles need digital skills.
THE ROAD AHEAD
W.TEC is expanding the camp and looking for more partners. Schools, companies, and government agencies that want to support girls in tech.
The organization is also working to make the programs more accessible. Because right now, the biggest barriers are not interest. They are cost, access to devices, and internet.
If Nigeria is serious about competing globally in technology, we have to invest in this pipeline. That means funding, mentorship, and real opportunities after the camp ends.
The girls who attend She Creates Camp in 2026 will not all become tech founders. But some will. And many more will go into university with confidence, with skills, and with the idea that they belong in tech.
WHY IT MATTERS TO ALL OF US
This is not just a "girls" story. It is a Nigeria story.
When more people can create technology, we get better solutions. Solutions for health, for education, for business, for security.
When girls learn to build instead of only consume, they gain independence. They gain options. They gain a voice in shaping the future.
And honestly, the tech industry needs them. It needs new ideas. It needs people who see problems differently.
So the next time you see a young girl on her phone, don’t just think she is scrolling. Ask her what she could build.
W.TEC is betting that with the right training, a lot of Nigerian girls will answer that question with something amazing.
ZpotHub News will continue to follow Nigeria’s technology sector, and the people and programs preparing young Nigerians for the future of work.
If you are a parent, teacher, or organization interested in supporting girls in tech, reach out to W.TECH or your local tech hub. The next generation of Nigerian innovators is already here. They just need the tools.
By Solomon Emmanuel | ZpotHub News
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