DOI: 10.36347/sjahss.2019.v07i03.021

Pages: 229-239

The authors of this article report the findings of an investigation of the challenges faced by Sub-Saharan African governments in promoting women and girls’ access to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic (STEM) education. They further report the countermeasures of the challenges which the governments put in place to overcome them in the efforts to promote STEM education and the achievement reached so far. This study is partly in response to the growing recognition that countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have been facing an uneven distribution of STEM education access to women and girls across different sub-regions. The design and implementation of STEM education curricula that are gender inclusive and flexible will go a long way to help governments to bridge the gap that exists between male and female in accessing STEM related subjects and careers. The findings recorded from secondary sources reveal a plethora of challenges. These are cultural beliefs, lack of expertise in STEM curriculum design and teaching practices, and administrative laxity. On the other hand, Sub-Saharan African states have also embarked on a series of reforms to effectively promote women and girls’ access to STEM education with East African states being a shining example. The authors conclude the article with a number of suggestions that would positively affect the curriculum design, implementation, and monitoring of STEM education in Sub-Saharan Africa.