Gearing up for the World Robot Olympiad

Several organisations, including Google and the ECA are working together to upskill youths and educators from 14 African countries in preparation for the World Robot Olympiad national and global competitions.

Tthe fun of building robots is spreading far and wide, with young people aged eight to 18, from 14 African countries, expected to take part in the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) by the end of the year.

The team of partners backing this continent-wide participation in the project, designed to upskill young Africans – Google, UNECA, the Camden Education Trust and Irish Aid – are on a mission to foster innovation, policy support and cooperation in CS (Computer Science) and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) education across the continent.

Announced during this year’s Africa Business Forum (ABF), the plan is to engage over 9,000 students in WRO competitions over the next few months.

Rewind to early 2024: the ECA and Google signed an agreement to support digital transformation in Africa focusing on four collaboration tracks: Digital Skills Development, AI Policy Research, Cybersecurity & Content Responsibilities, and E-commerce and Digital Trade.

One of the ECA’s key human capital development priorities is bridging the digital divide, particularly among young women and girls, to build essential digital and STEAM skills.

During his opening address at the partnership-signing ceremony on the margins of the 2024 Africa Business Forum, Claver Gatete, Executive Secretary at ECA, noted that: “The potential of Africa’s digital economy is enormous. However, realising this potential rests on closing key gaps in digital skills. We must find workable answers to critical questions, such as, how do we bridge the gap for the 650m workers that need to be trained or retrained in digital skills by 2030.”

For future skills to match the ecosystem for quality jobs, particularly in AI, African students need an arena in which to apply their skills and explore what lies beyond the ‘good enough’ horizon. This is where the fun and challenge of global competitions comes in.

Powerful learning process

The partners selected the World Robot Olympiad as a trusted non-profit framework to achieve their goals, providing the chance to take young African learners to the next level of CS learning, and foster digital, creative and problem-solving skills every step of the way.

According to the WRO annual report, WRO participants code for about 65 hours before a regional event – and many more for national and international events. WRO Germany’s research also says that 79% of the competing students develop problem-solving skills. Competing on a global stage alongside teams from across the world is also a great way for young people to celebrate their achievements nationwide and continent-wide.

When students compete, they face real-world problems that require innovative local solutions. They become more inquisitive, research independently, solve problems, learn to work with others and strive to do more than is required.

As they reach the next level of learning, they think logically, test their thinking in teams, learn to present their research, and are creative and resilient – a near-priceless portfolio in the future workplace, where workers will need to solve increasingly complex challenges and
socio-economic equations.

Charles Murito, Google’s Regional Director, Government Affairs & Public Policy for Sub-Saharan Africa, says: “Our objective is to unlock the potential of African youth and provide young innovators with the opportunity to create a better world through technology. We acknowledge the dedication of local teachers, educators, NGOs, and departments of education for making this programme a reality.”

This year, students will need to navigate through ethical, societal, environmental and legal implications as they explore 2024’s ‘Earth Allies’ theme and investigate how robots can help us live in harmony with nature. While some countries like Nigeria and Zimbabwe have already named their teams, more young innovators are currently coming together and gearing up towards their national competitions in 14 countries.

After several days of technical fun and intensive teamwork, winning teams are selected in each country. Those winners will travel to Izmir, Turkey on 28 November 2024 to compete on the global WRO stage, with 90 participating countries.

The Camden Education Trust is the third partner actively supporting the
digital skills component of the ECA-Google Partnership agreement. This not-for-profit company with Charitable Status, based in Ireland, is bringing its Continuing Professional Development expertise and best practices for scaling education projects into the equation.

While such competitions offer a great opportunity to foster intra-African cooperation in STEAM education, the
Google-ECA agreement also aims to institutionalise the latter in each participating country. The Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme onboards educators and equips them with the robotics materials and skills they need to organise the national WRO competitions in their own country.

Who’s next on the WRO agenda? Ethiopia. The partners are currently working with STEAM objectives to train over 600 youths in robotics across the 40 centres located in Addis Ababa and other regions ahead of the national WRO competition.