STEMpower-Ethiopia

13/05/2026

Debark’s Space Scholars: Finalists on the World Stage

A huge achievement in international terms, the STEM Center of Debark University has produced six students who became finalists of the Global Future Space Science Scholars Meet (GFSSM). The GFSSM is an annual competition that requires students from grade 7-12 to perform in space science and business through simulations initiated by aerospace organizations from the United States, China, and the United Kingdom.

The contestants participated in a challenging learning program, which included 'Cloud Classrooms' related to rocket science and 'Mars Survival Skills', where students were taught resource management skills for surviving in Mars.

The students from Debark University stood out through their unique creativity and problem-solving techniques. One of the finalists, Tigist Setegn said that the experience has given her confidence to tackle worldwide problems.

Such a great feat has been realized through STEMpower Inc., which not only helped in the setting up of the center but still helps in offering crucial training and technical consumables necessary for innovation.

In addition to becoming a finalist, these students have been rewarded scholarships as well as educational trips to enhance their skills in STEM. This is the great potential of young people when equipped with the right resources to make them transcend borders.

www.STEMpower.org

11/05/2026

STEMpower is thrilled to announce that we have been honored with the Third Place Certificate of Appreciation and Recognition at the Made in Ethiopia Expo 2026 for our innovative and impactful STEM education products, which are "Designed and Manufactured in Ethiopia" projec by STEMpower FabLab. This prestigious recognition was presented in the esteemed presence of H.E. the Deputy Prime Minister and other senior government officials, marking a significant milestone in our mission to enhance practical STEM education through solutions developed right here in Ethiopia.

The week-long Made in Ethiopia Expo 2026 successfully concluded, featuring over 350 domestic and international exhibitors from various sectors. This exhibition served as a vital platform for showcasing local innovation, fostering partnerships, and underscoring Ethiopia’s burgeoning industrial and technological advancements. The event also included high-level panel discussions attended by more than 1,300 participants, focusing on the vision of the Made in Ethiopia initiative for 2030 and the future of local manufacturing, entrepreneurship, and sustainable development.

During the expo, STEMpower proudly displayed our 13 locally designed science kits aimed at enhancing hands-on STEM learning in schools nationwide. The event provided us with invaluable opportunities to connect with government leaders, businesses, educators, innovators, and development partners who share our commitment to empowering the next generation through science and technology.

Receiving this recognition inspires us to further expand our impactful STEM solutions while contributing to Ethiopia’s vibrant innovation ecosystem and local manufacturing movement. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who visited our booth and supported our mission throughout the expo. Together, we are building a future driven by locally made innovation.

www.STEMpower.org

06/05/2026

STEMpower FabLab Showcases Local Innovation at "Made in Ethiopia" Expo 2026

The products from STEMpower's FabLab were highly appreciated by H.E. Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed at the "Made in Ethiopia" Expo 2026 event. This national event acts as the best stage in appreciating the innovations that are made in Ethiopia, promoting growth and development in the industries as well as meeting the country's development goals in general.

In this year's "Made in Ethiopia" Expo event, STEMpower exhibited its locally developed science kits, which include various tools that enhance STEM education. The theme of this year is also consistent with one of the initiatives of STEMpower, which is called "Designed and Manufactured in Ethiopia” meant for import substitutions. Through collaboration with Educational Material Production and Distribution Enterprise of Ethiopia, STEMpower has provided science kits to almost 100 high schools in the country so far with 13 science kits each.

Being among those who participate in such exhibitions brings an amazing feeling of seeing what is happening in the country's industrial and technological scene. Through interactions with important stakeholders ranging from policy makers to industry giants, the platform has been able to create new paths for:

✅ Visibility: Exhibiting local talent on the national level.

✅ Collaboration: Developing relationships with both government bodies and the private sectors

✅ Impact: Rapid expansion of our education tools throughout the nation.

The STEMpower booth received recognition in the form of an inspection by the Prime Minister himself, H.E. Dr. Abiy Ahmed, who got acquainted with our science kits and highlighted their role in bringing a major change to the nation’s education system.
Prof. Birhanu Nega, who serves as Minister of Education, also had kind words about our initiative, stating that "it is encouraging to see that STEMpower has already begun scaling up the production of science kits." Other important guests included Ahmed Shide (Minister of Finance) and Melaku Alebel (Minister of Industry), along with many others who showed great interest in our cause.

In light of the development that Ethiopia is undergoing in the field of industry and innovation, expos like the Made in Ethiopia Expo highlight the importance of local manufacturing and innovative thinking. Stemming from the same vision of Ethiopia, STEMpower is determined to help the future generations through scientific advancement.

www.STEMpower.org

06/05/2026

STEMpower Debuts "SheCodes360" to Catalyze Female-Led Digital Innovation in Ethiopia

The SheCodes360 Project of STEMpower has been launched, with its mission to provide young women entrepreneurs with innovative digital capabilities to succeed in the rapidly evolving world. This significant event gathered important partners, strategists, and prospective young entrepreneurs of the country.

Dr. Simenew Keskes, the STEMpower Country Director, began the ceremony welcoming the attendees and underlined the importance of the event for the country. Thus, the Country Director stressed that, “SheCodes360 will be the highlight in our journey towards innovative development. It is perfectly in sync with the Digital Ethiopia 2025 and the upcoming 2030 strategy. As it concerns Finland, he also highlighted the importance of cooperation: “Finland is globally acknowledged for being highly advanced in terms of technology and equal gender representation. Your support and partnership in this matter is very important for us.”

Opening the ceremony, H.E. Ms. Sinikka Antila, the Ambassador of Embassy of Finland in Addis Ababa - Suomen suurlähetystö Addis Abeba, expressed great expectations from the project. In particular, she noted that, “This project is thoroughly devised to help underprivileged young women gain all necessary digital and entrepreneurial competencies to become prominent players in the digital market.”

Also, there was an analysis of the successful collaboration between STEMpower and the Embassy of Finland that presented an overview of achievements in the past and expectations for the future, while other partners shared the impact of the project on creating a more unified and cooperative innovation system.
The emotional highlight of the day revolved around testimonies from Dagmawi Hintsa and Meskerem W/Gebriel, graduates of the 'Tigat' program initiated by STEMpower under the sponsorship of the Finland Embassy. "It's not just the certificates, but rather a culture of encouragement. We are women faced with career obstacles, and the support we got was incredibly empowering. It has made us believe in ourselves, and we are ready to keep going through the SheCodes360 program."

During his closing remarks, Dr. Ing. Getahun Mekuria, Chairman of the Board of Directors at STEMpower, emphasized the organization's established track record and its ambitious future initiatives. "We have validated our concept, and we are now poised to expand it," he remarked. "Our commitment to supporting women in STEM and advancing girls' education will only intensify." He called upon partners and representatives from UN Women Ethiopia to unite in support of STEMpower, ensuring the continuation of the investment made by Mr. Mark Gelfand in terms of expertise, financial resources, and time.

The event culminated in an innovation exhibit highlighting local innovations where products from the STEMpower FabLab were exhibited.

www.STEMpower.org

03/05/2026

Empowering Educators: The 2026 "We Can Work" Entrepreneurship Training of Trainers

STEMpower successfully completed the "We Can Work" Entrepreneurship Refresher Training of Trainers Program in Bishoftu. These five intense days turned the lakeside city into an innovative space of professional development.

The practicality of the curriculum was the key element in the design of this unique program, and the teaching methods were interactive instead of merely theoretical.

The program involved highly energized activities, which included demographic deep dives and competition positioning, as well as long-term strategic and planning skills.

Dr. Simenew Keskes, Country Director of STEMpower, awarded certificates to the participants who were declared as "world-class educators." Following the program's emphasis on inclusivity, Mr. Tesfaye Jimma (Light for the World) encouraged trainers to implement their knowledge in the process of empowering disabled entrepreneurs.

Freweyni G/Medhin and Meseret Bake commended the "learning by doing" method, highlighting the synergy achieved by working together with experienced professionals and novices.

www.stempower.org

29/04/2026

Celebrating Innovation: STEMpower & FAWY Honor the 2026 Grand National Contest Winners

STEMpower Inc., in collaboration with Fesseha Atlaw Wolde Yohannes Foundation (FAWY), is pleased to announce that the Final Round of its Annual National Contest for Ethiopic-based Applications has been successfully completed. The annual national contest is meant for the promotion of technology innovation based on Ethiopic languages and scripts.

This program aims to inspire young people and technologists in Ethiopia to develop innovative digital solutions in such vital fields as health, education, agriculture, and eCommerce.

Eight highly motivated candidates have demonstrated their applications in an inspiring way during the final round of the competition. Following the assessment of their innovative products by the judging committee, the top three winners were announced as follows:

🥇 Winner 1st Position – Nolawi Hailu, EthioAgri Plant Disease Detection WebApp

🥈 Winner 2nd Position – Endegena Abebe, Braille Translator WebApp

🥉 Winner 3rd Position – Surafel Wolde Zerihun, Abugida: Amharic Programming Language

Dr. Simenew Keskes, Country Director of STEMpower concluded the event as follows: "We are happy to implement such initiatives together with the Foundation. For the coming days, we will try to increase this kind of initiative and offer more advanced programs of this nature. Congratulations to the innovators and their family members."

Fesseha Atlaw, founder of FAWY, also shared his reflections: "Empowering young innovators to build solutions rooted in our own languages is essential for Ethiopia’s digital future. We are proud to support ideas that create real impact in our communities."

First-place winner Nolawi Hailu expressed his excitement: "This recognition motivates me to further develop EthioAgri and support farmers with accessible, technology-driven solutions tailored to our local context."

The current challenge highlights the immense possibilities of indigenous innovation, showing how innovations based on the country’s language can aid the inclusive digital revolution in Ethiopia.

STEMpower and FAWY continue their support for the empowerment of young innovators and nurturing an enabling environment for Ethiopian language-based innovations.

www.stempower.org

28/04/2026

28/04/2026

Bridging Borders to Promote STEM Excellence

STEMpower had the honor of hosting the team from GeoBus, the renowned outreach program of the University of St Andrews (UK), at our premier STEMpower Inc. FabLab in Addis Ababa.

This event marked a historic step in our endeavor to globalize our STEM education programs.

Our visitors toured our production units and witnessed how STEMpower combines innovation with practical learning to inspire and educate the youth of Ethiopia. They discussed with the Country Director of STEMpower, Dr. Simenew Keskes, ways to integrate Earth Science and Geology programs among pre-university students in Ethiopia and other African countries.

STEMpower and GeoBus share a collective dream of providing access to quality STEM education programs among disadvantaged groups.

Through mobile Earth Science outreach programs and digital fabrication workshops, we share a collective interest in nurturing creativity and analytical skills. It is setting the stage for intercontinental information sharing, collaborative outreach programs, and strategic global partnerships.

The University of St Andrews is an exciting partner in our quest to provide today’s youth with the necessary tools to succeed in their technological age.

www.stempower.org

26/04/2026

📢 Call for Applicants

SheCodes 360 Program

STEMpower Inc., in collaboration with the Embassy of Finland in Addis Ababa, invites young women to join SheCodes360: Empowering Women Entrepreneurs through Digital Innovation — a program designed to build practical skills in digital technology and entrepreneurship.

🚀 The program offers training in:

▪️ Digital skills (Marketing, Electronics, Coding basics)
▪️ AI & Cybersecurity for startups
▪️ Entrepreneurship & business development
▪️ Financial literacy & business planning
▪️ Mentorship & innovation support (STEMpower FabLab)

🎯 Who Can Apply

▪️ Women aged 18–35 in Addis Ababa
▪️ Interested in tech, innovation, and business
▪️ Committed to full participation
▪️ Women from underserved communities strongly encouraged

📅 Application Period
April 25 – May 15, 2026

📍 Training will be delivered at STEMpower STEM Centers in Addis Ababa.
Build your skills. Shape your future. Create impact.

📌 Scan the QR code on the poster to apply

🔗 Or apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1vgEEi4_2e3jdaB7NgPX4Mp92ebAlBDebahM_O4Je-NQ/edit

📞 For more information, contact:
📱 +251 963 130 148

www.STEMpower.org

22/04/2026

STEMpower Inc. has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Afrobots Engineering Ethiopia PLC company, which is a significant move towards our objective of improving practical learning in Ethiopian schools.

The partnership is geared towards promoting practical learning and enabling youths have access to advanced training courses in the disciplines of Robotics, Engineering, and Drone Technology.

In this way, we are blending theory and practice, which will help the coming generations to develop necessary technical know-how in order to become competitive in the STEM arena worldwide.

Dr. Simenew Keskes, the Country Director at STEMpower Inc, and Bethelehem Girma, the CEO and Co-founder at Afrobots signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations.

It should be noted that Afrobots Engineering PLC is a newly founded start-up based in Addis Ababa that aims at transforming robotics enthusiasts to professionals.

Therefore, this collaboration between us is an indication of our willingness to promote innovation by merging STEMpower’s wide scope of activities along with more than a decade and a half of experience and Afrobots' expertise in robotics and drones.
Our cooperation reflects our strong commitment towards "Digital Ethiopia 2030".

Join us in expanding hands-on STEM opportunities for future innovators.

www.stempower.org