Founder and Executive Director of STEMi Makers of Africa, Amanda Obidike, has made the 2023 list of Vital Voices’ (VV) visionary leaders and will be participating in its fellowship programme.

The Vital Voices Visionaries programme − in partnership with the Estée Lauder Emerging Leaders Fund (ELELF), the charitable fund of Estée Lauder − was created to support and invest in trailblazing women by increasing their access to leadership training and networks that sustain them. 

Obidike acceptance into the Vital Voices programme stemmed from the work she has been doing through her organisation in making sure underserved girls and young women in Nigeria and Africa acquire basic Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education.

Through her work and advocacy, hundreds of young females across 18 African countries have been empowered with 21st-century skills, emerging tools, and technologies to excel in STEM lucrative fields and match world-standard pathways.

Mayra Tenorio, the programme coordinator, leadership and social impact of Vital Voices, while congratulating Obidike for the feat, stated that, as a fellow, Obidike will join a distinguished group of 50 women visionaries from around the globe who are shaping the future they wish to see.   

“The VV Visionaries programme will allow you to take part in the Vital Voices Leadership Journey, which is a seven-week online training course built on the proven leadership model of Vital Voices, incorporating lessons in leadership from Estée Lauder executives and Vital Voices Global Network leaders,” Tenorio added. 

Tenorio stated that, following the completion of the fellowship programme, Obidike will join the Vital Voices community of over 20,000 changemakers across 185 countries, each of whom is daring to reimagine a more equitable world for all.

In a statement, Obidike stated that one of her goals in STEMi Makers of Africa is to improve educator professional development and ensure that educator reforms align with a more practical pedagogy in the classrooms, the needs of the changing job market, and the skills required for students to thrive and succeed.

She noted that the Vital Voices recognition and fellowship are opportunities for her to develop experiential leadership that will build a sustainable organisation for global impact.

Obidike noted that she is aware that Vital Voices − since its founding in 1997 − has provided early support for leaders who went on to become Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, United States Youth Poet Laureates, prime ministers, and breakthrough social entrepreneurs. 

“When women advance, the world succeeds. It is an honour to participate in one of the world-leading programmes for women impact leaders,” she said.