Dr Adetola Salau: Empowering African Children With Highly Competitive STEM Skills

Dr Adetola Salau served under Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu as Special Assistant in Education and Special Assistant in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Arts. She desires to prepare African students for the future and to achieve this, she has been conducting extensive stakeholder consultations and taking part in symposiums and conferences all around the world. This led to her establishment of the Carisma4U Educational Foundation in 2015, a social innovation enterprise, aimed at empowering African children with highly competitive STEM skills necessary for the fourth industrial revolution to break the cycle of poverty in Nigeria and Africa at large.

In this interview with MARY NNAH, she talks about what inspires her and more

Tell us what growing up was like.

When I was younger, I was always enthralled by how things worked and when things stopped working, I would immediately start messing around with them. I was always interested in exploring, I saw going out to places that I hadn’t gone to before as an adventure and I got my younger siblings to join me. At times, my friends joined me.

My mother is a natural scientist, she encouraged my curiosity and was always answering my questions. She constantly made connections to the real world and lessons in mathematics and science at school. One of my favourite things that she would do was to tell me about the chemistry of cooking and that made chemistry much more fun than what we learning at school.

How much would you say your parents’ lives as professors affect your choices of career?

Whenever I give speeches or hold workshops, I am always telling stories about my parents, this tells a lot. They are my major role models. Even to date, I find myself using them as yardsticks for how I am living my life.

I realise that I am following in their footsteps. I strove to get my PhD in their footsteps; this includes my choice of serving in the public sector.

Their goals were to gain knowledge from the West and return home to pass the knowledge to others. When I told my parents that I wanted to be an engineer, they were ecstatic about it and supported me. They never brought up my gender and how it would be difficult to raise a family as an engineer.

Today, I realise how lucky I was; for societal and cultural norms would have disqualified me – as it continues to – as a girl child from pursuing a career in Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics (STEM).  

I  just realised now how different my home was from other homes because my parents encouraged me, they provided lesson teachers and pushed me to undertake extracurricular stuff to boost this career choice I had chosen.

Why STEM?

My response is “Why not STEM?” What is not love or desire about how it is focused on boosting students for the future and solving challenges in their communities?

I have made a conviction and this is inspiring and empowering the young to pursue careers in STEM.

I gear towards a desire which is to prepare African students and other parts of the world for the future and to achieve this I have been conducting extensive stakeholder consultations and taking part in symposiums and conferences all around the world.

This also led to my establishment of the Carisma4U Educational Foundation, a social innovation enterprise in 2015. The Foundation has one goal: empowering African children with highly competitive STEM skills necessary for the fourth industrial revolution to break the cycle of poverty in Nigeria and Africa at large.

What has the journey serving under Gov Babajide Sanwo-Olu been like?

I served under Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu as Special Assistant in Education and Special Assistant in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Arts.

These were a great opportunity as well as an experience for me to spread the gospel of education and enlightenment. We were able to achieve unprecedented positive and impressive achievements. This is why I describe my tenure as SA in three words: ‘spreading light everywhere!’

What would you best describe as the most fulfilling moments in your career?

As I look back at the two decades of my career, I see the brightest moments for me have always been centred around students or teachers winning through opportunities that I was a part of; collaborative work, grants, whatever it took for the work to get done.

There was a time when our students were in a Drone soccer competition in Africa. It was the first of its kind. Our Lagos State schools participated in collaboration with the US Consulate Lagos.

Also, the 2022 SEA-HUB competitions that our students and teachers partook in and emerged as National champions. I am still stoked by that win.  I can still remember how I jumped to my feet and screamed when I heard the name of our school called the 1st place winner. It was surreal! I jumped to the stage to hug our students and teachers. I was beside myself with joy.

I have reflected on this so many a time and I come to realise that there were no unrewarding parts for me. I learned lessons from all that I have been through. Everything has something that I needed to learn for the next situation/role I had.

How do you unwind?

I watch thrillers, and comedies on Netflix, and documentaries, sing along to my favourite songs, especially with loud Bluetooth speakers, travel especially to new places and explore by having new experiences.

What are your prospects?

By 2030, I hope to improve STEM education in Africa to prepare more than 2 million African youngsters for economic prosperity and the future. I am also working with kids, teachers, and parents to improve 21st-century skills that educate African children for the future of employment.