Énergierich Robotics Workshop | Orienting children toward the engineering mindset

Story By:  Rahamatu-Lahi Zakaria || Sanatu Zambang

School children from the basic to senior high schools in the northern region are benefiting from Énergierich project to re-orient children toward the engineering mindset. The project started last year and has seen different schools within Tamale metro and Sagnarigu municipality learning how to make and repair simple electrical gadgets with the hope of transforming the mentality of always importing things from outside the country.

Speaking with Ms Sherifatu, one of the facilitators of the project said their aim is to target as many people in the region as possible to change their mindset from importing to exporting.

”The whole project is about engineering and teaching Africans to be able to produce things that we import into the country. training engineers to substitute some of the things we import into the country. Sometimes we have faults in them and we cannot fix them so that is just the main idea. So we aim to impact knowledge in junior and senior high school students.”

”They would not grow up to have the mindset of always importing things into the country when they can also make it. That is the main idea behind it. I think so far we have been able to achieve certain goals. Some of the students that we are engaging knew nothing about that and some did not know how to use a computer but now they can use it but the mere fact that they come and attend this workshop.”

According to her, most of the students at the start of the project had never used the computer but now with the guidance that they are getting, they are able to boot and work with the computer with ease. 

”They all have the potential, they just need the right tools and attention. they had the theory, they are getting practical. They would do amazing things if they had the right resources and guidance. They are brilliant and what they’re doing would surprise you.”

The project is in partnership with Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art (SCCA). SCCA Provide the space and student while EnergieRich provide the facilitators to teach the student. The students expressed their satisfaction and the opportunity that they have been given to learn new things.

Some of the students said they had learned the theory in school and it was an eye opener for them to actually go through the practical aspect of what they had leant in school.

Énergierich is a social enterprise that seeks to spark a transformation of the organization of economic production and innovation in underserved communities while inspiring global social consciousness for STEM innovators. 

Their work introduces locally assembled solar products at a lower cost than imported manufactured goods.  The production of economically viable and socio-cultural appropriate technology produced by local populations provides economic, educational, technological and health stimulus.

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