STEM Against the Odds: Three Young Tanzanian Women Redefining the Future of Science and Innovation

Across Tanzania and Zanzibar, young women are breaking barriers in science, technology, engineering, and innovation.

For this year’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science, three remarkable young women stand out for the skills they gained through the African Girls Can Code Initiative (AGCCI), a programme implemented by UN Women in collaboration with the African Union Commission and the International Telecommunication Union to equip young women with coding, digital literacy, problem‑solving, and leadership skills. Since its launch in Tanzania, over 200 girls have benefited from AGCCI coding camps, gaining practical digital skills, confidence, and exposure to STEM career pathways.

“The ocean needs more women, and I am determined to open more doors for them.” - Glory Ernest Mrema

At just 25 years old, Engineer Glory Ernest Mrema stands as one of the few Tanzanian young women navigating the demanding world of marine engineering. Born in Mwanza and now serving as a junior officer with a leading international cruise line, Gloria is part of a very small group of women working in a sector that remains overwhelmingly male-dominated, in Tanzania and globally.

“The maritime sector needs women,” says Mrema, “Not one woman in a hundred. Not one in two hundred. We need thousands. And I want girls to know that they belong here.”

Gloria’s journey into marine engineering was not typical. She did not grow up around ships, and no one in her family had ever worked in the maritime sector. But when she first learned about marine engineering, the idea of mastering complex machines, travelling the world, and contributing to Tanzania’s growing blue economy sparked her curiosity.

“When I finally understood what marine engineering was, I knew I wanted to explore it. I didn’t know where it would take me, but I knew I wanted to challenge myself.”

Entering the field was not easy.

“My father asked around and heard that the field was male-dominated, that women didn’t survive there. Even my mother asked whether I could choose something easier,” says Mrema. But she was determined. She made her choice, completed her studies, was eventually selected for practical training in Korea and finally secured a job aboard a ship.

When she boarded her first ship, she immediately noticed that she was the only woman among 150 men, and the only female in the engine department.

“It wasn’t the engineering that challenged me,” she says. “It was the stereotypes. People assumed women cannot work in the engine room, that girls cannot operate heavy machinery, or that you must be married to work at sea. I had to push back against all of it.”

Slowly, Mrema’s skill began to speak for itself, and she rose to become the Health, Environment and Safety Representative for the engine department. Leading 150 men, she ensures compliance with safety procedures, commanding authority in one of the ship’s most sensitive areas.

“No one expected a young woman to lead that department. But I did. And I want other girls to know they can too,” she says.

According to Mrema, UN Women’s AGCCI programme played a pivotal role in strengthening her confidence, leadership voice, and technical capacity.

“The instructors really gave me the space to be heard, and that has played a big part in where I am today.”

She now applies the digital and coding skills she learned to marine simulations and machinery design, and mentors other young women in her spare time.

Today, Mrema envisions a future where Tanzanian girls see maritime careers as achievable, and dreams of designing ships with facilities that support women’s full participation. Recognizing that Tanzania’s blue economy cannot grow without women, she recommends increases in gender-responsive employment agreements and expanded training opportunities and scholarships to ensure girls’ education leads to real jobs. Her message to every girl considering STEM or marine engineering is:

“Be courageous. Be resilient. Don’t see yourself as a girl entering a male-dominated field, see yourself as a professional entering your future. The ocean is big, and it needs your leadership.”

“Science has always felt like home to me, and AGCCI made me believe I belonged in it.” - Huda Khamis Mohamed

From Unguja in Zanzibar, Huda Khamis Mohamed grew up loving science.

“I was always the girl who scored higher in science than in arts subjects,” she said. “I attended a science-focused school, and from a young age, I knew I wanted to be a doctor,” she added.

Her passion for science led her to pursue a diploma in clinical medicine. But as a young woman entering the health sector, she quickly realised that many of the challenges she faced were shaped not by the work itself, but by the gender norms surrounding it.

“Some patients doubt you just because you are a woman, and families sometimes question your authority before you even speak,” she says.

In 2025, Khamis joined an AGCCI coding camp in Zanzibar, an experience which she says not only improved her digital literacy but also boosted her self-assurance.

“Today, I use my digital skills every day, and it has made me a better clinician.”

Through the programme, she gained skills in programming basics, graphics, communication, and digital tools that enhance her effectiveness at work. She now also serves as chair of her clinic’s nutrition club, coordinating young people and leading community education.

Huda continues to encourage girls to pursue science with confidence.

“Science is not difficult. It is broad, and there is a place for everyone. We need more women in this field.”

“Innovation doesn’t start in a lab, it starts in your community.” - Sandra Apollo Ruhizi

At 25 years old, Sandra Apollo Ruhizi is the brains behind Kijana Factory, a growing social enterprise that is empowering smallholder farmers, especially women, through financial literacy, storytelling, value addition and digital tools. Although her academic background is in accounting, Sandra has built a powerful pathway at the intersection of innovation, agriculture, and community-driven science.

Her connection to agriculture began in childhood, watching her grandmother farm tirelessly to support the family.

“Her hands fed us and supported our education,” she recalls.

After university, while working on a project that brought her into daily contact with farmers, she witnessed many, particularly women, struggling with respiratory illnesses linked to prolonged exposure to chemical fertilizers.

On a day in Bagamoyo, along the Tanzanian coast, Ruhizi noticed piles of discarded seaweed and vegetables, materials no one wanted because they were deemed imperfect for the market. Where others saw waste, she saw potential.

“That’s when it hit me,” she says. “What we throw away can heal the soil. What we ignore can protect farmers.”

This idea became Bio-mwani, now a core product of Kijana Factory, an organic fertilizer she started producing in August 2025, made from seaweed and vegetable waste.

“People think innovation begins in a laboratory, but it begins in your community. It begins with responding to real needs,” she said.

Ruhizi credits much of her progress to a design thinking class during an AGCCI coding camp in 2023, which reshaped how she approached problem-solving.

“The class taught us to step into the shoes of the person facing the problem,” she recalls. “In this case, I did just that. I became the farmer, felt her struggles, and that changed everything.

Building on her digital skills, she continues to expand Kijana Factory, developing practical tools such as Kijana Finance, which helps farmers manage their money like a modern digital savings group. She also works closely with women farmers who often lack access to information and resources, supporting them to approach agriculture as a structured, sustainable business.

Her message to girls: “Your ideas are valid. Start early. Believe fiercely. Take up space, even when it feels uncomfortable.”

These three young women each embody the spirit of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science: showing that young women are not only entering scientific fields in greater numbers but actively reshaping what is possible within them. When girls are supported to learn, lead, and innovate, they do more than succeed individually, they redefine the future of STEM for generations to come.