A Computing Science student at the University of Glasgow has set up an initiative to help train young scientists in Africa.

The PWSAfrica project, led by PhD student Sofiat Olaosebikan, aims to teach and empower young people with the skills needed to help drive innovation across Africa.

Inspired by her own experience as an undergraduate studying at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria, Olaosebikan said it was her lack of access to programming education in Africa that gave her the idea to start her initiative.

Olaosebikan, who is a student at the College of Science and Engineering, said: “There are lots of problems in Africa that need to be solved. My goal is to raise an army of intellectuals that are going to contribute to the development of Africa.

“I want to empower young scientists in Africa with the skills to help them bridge the gap between their pre-existing knowledge and real-world scientific problems. I believe that this will help them grow to become innovative thinkers who will push Africa forward on the frontiers of science and technology.

“I am a good example of one such African scientist who was empowered by the opportunities I have been given. This initiative was born out of a strong desire to give back to the community by helping other young scientists in Africa and show them what is possible.”

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Supported by the University’s School of Computing Science, Olaosebikan has delivered computer programming workshops in Nigeria and Rwanda through her PWSAfrica project – which stands for Programming Workshop for Scientists in Africa.

Workshops led by the PWSAfrica project were also supported with funding from the University of Glasgow’s Chancellor’s Fund and Global Challenges Research Fund Small Grants Fund.

She added: “For my team and I, the experience and the impact we have been able to make was worth all the effort to set up this initiative. For some of those that we worked with, they saw where I am right now as something they couldn’t achieve.

“But me standing in front of them teaching them something that they aspire to know and the fact I was also in their shoes only a few years ago, they tell me felt like an inspiration to them.”

Professor Chris Johnson, Head of the School of Computing Science, who supports the initiative and work undertaken by his colleagues said: “The University is not an inward-looking institution. It shouldn’t be just about the campus or the building you are based in. It should be about your ability to get out, to influence how people think and how people learn in different countries.”

“With all the pressures that exist today in University life to bring in research grants and to teach increasingly larger numbers of students, it is absolutely fantastic when a few people do something different and challenge preconceptions and go out and do something that I think is important.”

Ifeoma Okoh and John Paul took part in the Nigerian workshop in 2018, and this year returned to PSWAfrica as tutors in Rwanda. Ifeoma said: “Sofiat has brought so much empowerment to us from the UK to Nigeria. We have so much potential in Nigeria but sometimes it is the opportunity to actually show that which is missing.”

Rachel Sandison, Vice-Principal, External Relations commented that: “Sofiat is an excellent example of the University of Glasgow’s world-changing student community who are committed to making a difference at both a local and global level. We are incredibly proud of Sofiat’s achievements and ambitions, and are delighted that we can provide the supporting framework to make these dreams a reality.”