SmartGirlz in ICT 2024 Report

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Facilitators and dignitaries reviewing a student HCD poster

About This Edition

Letters of invitation went out from 30 January to 3 February 2024 to 18 schools; 16 confirmed participation, including Oysterbay, Kisutu Girls, Salma Kikwete, Mikocheni, Magomeni, Jangwani, Mbezi Beach, Makumbusho, Jangwani Girls, Kijitonyama, Makongo, Feza Girls, Kibasila, Kawe Ukwamani and Ubungo Islamic Secondary Schools.

43 facilitators (21 female, 15 male) were recruited and trained for two weeks on Human-Centered Design before two trainers were allocated to each school to run the program.

Programme Phases — 2024

How the year unfolded, from HCD training through to MVP building.

Feb – Apr 2024

HCD Training

Idea generation, prototyping, pitching, and in-school exhibitions & competitions.

Jul 2024

Business & Entrepreneurship

Career awareness and showcasing results at TAIC and International Youth Day.

Dec 2024

Coding & MVP Building

Turning selected prototypes into working products (MVPs).

How Phase 1 Unfolded

Week 1

Team Formulation

Teams of 5–6 students formed, deliberately mixed across classes for diversity.

Week 3

Theme Introduction

Students introduced to the ITU challenge on girls' leadership in STEM.

Weeks 4–5

Idea Prototyping & Pitching

Paper-based and storyboard prototypes built, with pitch training.

Weeks 4–5

Technical Training

Introduction to web programming and mobile app development.

Week 6

In-School Competitions

Teams pitched 10-minute ideas to judges; top 3 teams per school advanced.

Weeks 7–9

Prototype Implementation

Selected teams built out prototypes using HTML, CSS and Bootstrap.

Exhibitions &
Competition Day

Held on 15 April 2024 with over 300 attendees. Dr. Mercy Mbise, Head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the College of ICT, opened the day, followed by student exhibitions and an awards ceremony.

Guests included UNICEF, ICT Commission, UCSAF, SerengetiBytes and COSTECH. A six-member judging panel selected the winning teams.

SmartGirlz in ICT Tanzania exhibition day banner

2024 Winners

🥇 1st Place

Team Polaris

Kijitonyama Secondary School

An interactive career-exploration platform where students choose ICT careers, engage with experts, and build problem-solving skills through robotics, coding, and data-analytics games.

🥈 2nd Place

Team Queens

Mikocheni Secondary School

STEMpire — an app teaching STEM and leadership through quizzes and games, letting girls earn points and track progress toward STEM leadership roles.

🥉 3rd Place

Team Athens

Feza Girls Secondary School

A website and mobile app connecting students and women with mentorship from successful women in STEM, free of charge.

Conclusion

SmartGirlz in ICT 2024 impacted over 300 students across Dar es Salaam from 15 different secondary schools. Most students surveyed enjoyed the program, with the main request being more training time alongside their studies.