Tech
An AI literacy program for 60 secondary students in Kaduna
Ebelebe Wisdom Usiwoma leads the AImpact Challenge, a 3-week program running September to October 2026 to give 60 secondary school students across 3 schools in Kaduna hands-on experience using AI tools to propose solutions to problems in their schools and communities.
Twelve student teams presenting AI-powered community solutions to a panel of judges. That is the plan for the final day, the Showcase Pitch Day, week three of the AImpact Challenge: AI for Solving School and Community Challenges, a 3-week AI literacy program he leads, running September to October 2026 in Kaduna, Nigeria, and already underway.
The program was designed for 60 secondary school students, in SS1 and SS2 and aged 15 to 17, from 3 schools: Divine Progress, Royal Amazing Model Academy and ECWA Grace Covenant Schools, the host venue. Week one was AI literacy workshops at all 3 schools, covering ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and DeepSeek. Week two, team research and proposal development. Week three, the showcase at ECWA. The point is practical, hands-on experience with artificial intelligence tools, so that students can, as the program puts it, "identify and propose solutions to real problems in their schools and communities."
“I want to be remembered not only for what I built, but for the people whose lives became better because I built it.”
Ebelebe Wisdom Usiwoma
It is funded through the YES Alumni Grants Program. He is a YES Program alumnus himself, and is currently at Federal University of Technology Akure.
His year in the United States shaped this work directly. He was hosted by a family in McFarland, Wisconsin, and it was the culture of volunteering he saw first in that household and then across the wider McFarland community that drew him to give something back through a program like this one. Curiosity, something he met as a value Americans held about him and about his country, is part of what pulled him towards AI in the first place. That connection is why he has tied this year's program to Freedom250, the theme marking the 250th anniversary of the United States.
He describes himself as "an AI and Software Engineering enthusiast" with a long-term goal of building AI-powered software "that solves real problems in my community." He is currently building an AI Learning Companion to help students learn more effectively, and he teaches students how to use AI responsibly and effectively.
He is also a member and peer mentor in the Future Shapers Fellowship, where he is learning how to lead with AI.
He hopes to keep developing technology for students and communities.