A Nigerian teenager, Camille Ananyi, has built a digital platform aimed at bridging the gender gap in technology by connecting young African girls with global tech mentors.
The platform, known as Support Passionate Africans through Relationships, Knowledge, and Tech (SPARK Tech Africa), was unveiled in Lagos and is designed to provide mentorship, learning resources, and hands-on project opportunities to help girls across the continent gain access to the technology sector.
SPARK Tech Africa is built to connect thousands of African girls to world-class mentors in Silicon Valley and beyond, helping them gain the skills, guidance, and exposure needed to pursue careers in technology. The initiative aims to bridge the mentorship and knowledge gap by pairing young women with experienced professionals who can guide them through hands-on project work and personal development.
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Camille Ananyi, the teenage founder of SPARK said, “SPARK Tech Africa is more than a program. I know what it is like to grow up without a mentor. Not everyone gets that guidance early, and I have seen firsthand how that gap can limit potential. I was fortunate to live in the US, where I had access to mentors who steered me and built my confidence. SPARK is my way of creating that same opportunity for others, building a bridge between the dreams of African girls and the possibilities in global tech. Through mentorship, learning, and collaboration, we are setting a new standard for inclusive innovation.”
Camille, who attended The Learning Place, Lekki and Corona School, Victoria Island, in Nigeria, is currently a student at the prestigious Menlo School in Silicon Valley, California. She began learning how to code with Scratch at the CoCreation Hub’s Summer of Code in Lagos, furthered her tech training with ID Tech at Stanford University, and completed the Data Science & Machine Learning program with Summer Springboard at the University of California, Berkeley. She is also an alumna of the highly selective More Active Girls In Computing (MAGIC) Mentee Program in Silicon Valley, an experience that reinforced her passion for mentorship and tech inclusion.
The SPARK portal offers a range of features designed to support learning and mentorship. The Learn Page is a curated library of resources that teaches mentees how to code and build real-world tech projects. The Matching Page uses smart functionality to pair mentees with mentors based on shared interests, skills, and goals. A dedicated section called Women’s Stories showcases inspiring video interviews from mentors who share their journeys and lessons. The Progress Page tracks each mentee’s growth and project milestones while sending weekly reports to mentors and program managers. Finally, the portal includes a video showcase of final presentations that highlight the creativity and achievements of participating girls.
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The program runs annually from December to April. During this period, selected mentees are matched with mentors aligned with their aspirations and work collaboratively on meaningful tech projects. At the end of each cycle, SPARK highlights some of the most outstanding projects. The creators of these selected works are invited to an exclusive two-week summer camp in Silicon Valley, where they deepen their knowledge, visit leading tech companies, and refine their innovations in a global environment.
“We are investing in the next generation of African innovators, SPARK is a platform for transformation that is powered by technology and driven by purpose. SPARK is now live and accepting mentee applications for the 2025–2026 cohort,” Ananyi disclosed.
