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World Robot Olympiad™ Fuels STEM Growth in 14 African Countries
The World Robot Olympiad™ (WRO), one of the world’s largest youth robotics competitions, has seen remarkable growth across Africa. Since 2020, the competition has expanded from just 5 countries to 14, engaging over 40,000 students during the 2025 season.
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More than 2,000 educators have been trained to support this growth, thanks to partnerships with global tech leaders like Google, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), and WRO’s strategic allies.
These partnerships are helping to equip young Africans with essential future-ready skills in coding, engineering, and artificial intelligence (AI). All of these skills are helping to ensure they are prepared to thrive in an increasingly digital world.
Robotics Education Driving Inclusive Innovation
Each year, WRO challenges students globally to build robots that solve real-world problems. The 2025 season’s theme, “The Future of Robots,” has sparked bootcamps, workshops, and innovation labs across the continent. Hundreds of African students have gained access to hands-on robotics education. These young Africans include those from underserved and special needs communities.
National champions from across Africa will head to the WRO International Final in Singapore this November, joining teams from over 90 countries in a global celebration of innovation and creativity.
African Students Prioritize Community Impact
African youth are making waves in global robotics with solutions that prioritize social good over profit. In Zimbabwe, Team FutureSight, winners of the National Senior Category, developed an AI-powered voice assistant to support visually impaired users. Their project is being adapted into local languages to increase accessibility across the region.
In South Africa, Karabo Rithuri’s inspiring journey highlights the long-term impact of WRO. After joining a robotics pilot program at 13, Karabo competed internationally in Malaysia and later founded her own robotics club when the program was cut from her school. Today, she holds degrees in Finance and IT, serves as a WRO judge, and mentors students in underserved communities.
“WRO gave me a voice, and now I want to help make things even better for the next generation,” said Karabo.
WRO Africa: A Platform for the Next Generation of Changemakers
According to Claus Ditlev Christensen, Secretary General of WRO:
“WRO’s expansion into Africa is a milestone in our mission to inspire youth through robotics and STEM. We are proud to see students not only learning technical skills, but also creating solutions that meet real community needs.”
With Africa’s fast-growing youth population and tech-driven innovation agenda, WRO is emerging as a vital platform for international collaboration, problem-solving, and skills development. Initiatives like WRO Learn and the Future Innovators Project are helping break barriers in access to STEM education—empowering the next generation of African innovators.
