A New Era of Transformative Learning is Sweeping Across Africa
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Robotics competitions such as the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) are powerful ways to foster AI skills, critical thinking, problem-solving, communications and creativity skills among youth: quite a priceless fold in the future workplace.
We are joining forces with Google, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Irish Aid and more like-minded partners to prepare thousands teachers and youths for WRO competitions across Africa.
9,000
Students took part in 2024
42,000
Students taking part in 2025
10
African countries represented at International Finals
Seen on Camden.tv
When WRO Zimbabwe 2024 winners Theophelus Beans, Eustina Muvoti and Flint Shamba returned to their Zimuto High School, they were welcomed by the most wonderful sounds of a proud community.
In November 2024, they represented Zimbabwe on the global competition stage in Izmir, Turkey.
In Nigeria, strategic partnerships with state ministries and institutions are mainstreaming robotics across schools nationwide. The impact? Over 2,000 teachers trained and more than 20,000 young people from all walks of life engaged in WRO 2025.
Solving real-world problems in Zimbabwe
Student at Petra College
3rd place winner of the 2024 WRO National competition in Zimbabwe
My SDG15 ‘Life on Land’ project aimed to address land poaching, land degradation and veld fires issues related to SDG 15. By leveraging Infrared and gas detection integrated with SMS technology, cloud based data collection, we developed an innovative solution that could potentially help my country tackle current problems and stand with other countries in promoting environmental sustainability.“
We wanted to build something that mattered, something that could make life better for people around us, not just win a trophy.”
With their AI-powered voice assistant for the blind, this dream team captured the attention of judges, diplomats, and tech leaders alike: their smart, voice-controlled tool helps the visually impaired with daily tasks like reading, object recognition, and navigation. But what makes it truly special is its localization: the team is adapting it to support local languages, ensuring accessibility for users who are often left behind in global tech developments.
Team FutureSight from the Manicaland Province.
Winners of WRO Zimbabwe 2025 National Championship in the Senior category
Robotics is a microcosm of technologies that support STEAM education, at the crossroads of physics, coding, engineering, design, construction, creativity and teamwork. Learning becomes fun as students develop an intuitive understanding of physics applied to solve real-world problems in an innovative way.
The WRO Spirit
DIVERSITY
WRO is accessible to young people from around the world, regardless of background.
TEAMWORK
Teams succeed by embracing collaboration and build friendships, integrity and character in the process.
EMPOWERMENT
WRO inspires and prepares young people to be digital pioneers, innovators and engineers.
Mentors extraordinaire
A mentee once asked me, ‘When do I know I’m ready to build real projects?’ My answer: You don’t. You just start. And remember that every expert you admire started with broken apps and endless errors.”
Behind every successful robotics team stands a great mentor. Join Andrew Muriithi, Software Engineer, Google STEM Mentor and Hackathon Winner in this WRO Mentoring series as he dives into the art of guiding young innovators from first brainstorming sessions to proudly competing on the international stage.
“We will need the brain power of the next generation to fix the mistakes of the past. Because diversity in science and technology leads to diversity in solutions, we must ensure that students from all backgrounds are given the chance to contribute. The World Robot Olympiad is an opportunity to do just that and it aligns with Zimbabwe’s education policies in many ways.“
“Being part of the WRO was a great learning experience as we all got to hone new tech, problem-solving and creative skills. It was a unique, hands-on opportunity for learners to engage in designing, building and programming robots. Thank you ever so much for bringing WRO to Zimbabwe!“
