FinTech company, Interswitch has partnered with a Lagos-based Non governmental organisation – Slum2School , which has its focus on providing educational opportunities for kids in disadvantaged communities. The partnership would lead them to build a STEM and innovation lab in the Makoko area of Lagos.
According to Punch, the innovation lab is fitted with up to 50 computers. And it is strategically situated at Adekunle Anglican School, along the main Makoko road. The road connects the community to the Yaba suburb.
Interswitch Group CEO, Mitchell Elegbe during the commissiong of the lab in Makoko believes that, “STEM helps students learn things like critical thinking and problem solving, so they can be the next generation of leaders and innovators,”
“At Interswitch, we want everyone to have that opportunity. That is why we are rolling out initiatives at different levels in the country that support and promote STEM education in Africa, from the InterswitchSPAK national science competition, to working with Slum2School to build STEM and innovation labs across Africa.”
Slum2School founder, Otto Orondaam, says that the organization has provided scholarships and various learning centres to over 1000 children in the community. “Working with thousands of children from this community over the past 6 years, we have seen some of the brightest minds you could imagine. We know that the facility will enhance learning for every child who engages with it not just from Makoko but across Lagos state.”