Bridgette Sokolowski

Pioneered STEM education initiatives in rural Africa through innovative tech solutions

Bridgette Sokolowski is a Nigerian-American social entrepreneur who founded Bridging the Gap Africa in 2020, an organization dedicated to closing the gender gap in STEM fields across West Africa. Through her work, over 15,000 girls in rural communities have gained access to coding bootcamps and robotics workshops. Her UN Women featured initiative uses mobile classrooms equipped with solar-powered devices to deliver hands-on tech training. In 2023, she launched the African Girls' Tech Summit, connecting students with tech giants like Microsoft and Google for mentorship programs. Sokolowski's approach combines education with economic empowerment, establishing tech cooperatives that enable graduates to develop apps addressing local challenges like crop monitoring and maternal healthcare. Her TEDx talk Code Breaking Barriers has garnered over 2 million views, inspiring similar programs in Kenya and Ethiopia. Recognized by Forbes Africa's 30 Under 30 in 2022, her work directly impacts UN Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 5 through scalable solutions that challenge traditional gender roles in technology sectors.