Louis Awode Foundation to train 20,000 Nigerian children in robotics, AI, coding
By Aboki Forex —
The Louis Awode Foundation has launched a nationwide programme to teach over 20,000 Nigerian children robotics, coding, artificial intelligence, and entrepreneurship skills. The initiative targets children in underserved communities, preparing them for opportunities in the growing digital economy.
The programme will set up technology hubs in schools, provide mentorship, organise robotics competitions, and offer scholarships. It also includes hands-on training in STEM subjects, animation, 3D printing, and digital content creation.
Pilot phase success in Ogun State
The foundation recently completed a pilot outreach in Ogun State, reaching nearly 1,800 pupils. Over 460 of them completed practical technology training. The success of that phase has led to plans for a nationwide rollout.
Founder Louis Awode said the initiative aims to nurture creativity, innovation, and problem-solving skills. “We are moving beyond simply exposing children to technology. The goal is to help them think creatively, solve problems, and develop the confidence to build solutions of their own,” he said.
Awode added that the future economy will reward young people who can innovate, code, design products, and compete globally.
Robotics labs and entrepreneurship boot camps
The nationwide rollout will replicate the Ogun State model. It will establish robotics laboratories, entrepreneurship boot camps, and structured STEM learning programmes in schools. Participants will train in robot design, autonomous programming, product development, business ideation, and competitive robotics.
Outstanding participants will receive scholarships, mentorship, and internship placements through partnerships with technology companies and educational institutions.
Discussions with state governments and private sector
The foundation is in talks with state governments, schools, private sector tech firms, and community organisations to set up technology hubs across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones. These centres will be equipped with robotics kits, 3D printers, digital design software, and trained instructors.
Zonal and national robotics competitions will also be organised to expose students to career opportunities in the technology ecosystem.
Changing mindsets in rural communities
Awode stressed the impact of early exposure to innovation. “When a child from a rural community successfully builds a robot or develops a business idea for the first time, it changes their mindset permanently. They begin to see themselves as creators rather than spectators in the digital economy,” he said.
The programme builds on the foundation’s earlier “Clothe-A-Child Initiative,” done in partnership with The Archers across public schools in Ogun State. That project provided school bags, notebooks, educational materials, and digital literacy training to pupils in Ijebu-Ode and Ogbere communities. Teachers described the intervention as timely, noting that many children from low-income farming families struggle to access basic materials.
Awode said his own childhood in an underserved community inspired the foundation’s mission. “I understand what it means to grow up without adequate learning materials and opportunities. What we are trying to do is give children the kind of exposure and encouragement that can completely alter their life trajectory,” he said.
Michael Olabode, Head of Brand Experience at The Archers, said the group supported the initiative through logistics coordination, volunteer mobilisation, media engagement, and provision of learning materials and digital training support.