Women-In-WACREN (WiW) is hosting the Climate Innovation Lab 2026, a structured innovation programme that combines a virtual network of women in STEM, an intensive in-person Climate Innovation Lab, and a post-lab mentorship programme.
The programme aims to strengthen the capacity of women in STEM across West and Central Africa to collaboratively design and develop innovative digital solutions that address climate change adaptation and mitigation challenges within their communities and institutions.
Event details
Date
12 October 2026 – 15 October 2026
Time
08:30 – 17:00 (Africa/Accra)
Location
Abuja, Nigeria · Host: National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN)
Sponsors
Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN)
Organiser
Women-In-WACREN (WiW), WACREN
Contact
W-i-W Coordinator (wiw@wacren.net · +233 501100457)
Monday 12 October: Understand the Problem
| Time | Session | Speaker / Details |
|---|---|---|
| 08:30 – 09:00 | Registration & Networking Participants and mentors assemble (30m) | WACREN / WiW Team |
| 09:00 – 09:30 | Welcome & Innovation Lab Briefing Welcome from Host (NOUN), Sponsors (NgREN), and plans for the 4-day program (30m) | Abigail Essel Speaker |
| 09:30 – 10:15 | Climate Challenges & People Introduce the climate-resilience challenges and the people/institutions affected (45m) | Prof. Amos Kabo-Bah (AfriGEO) Speaker |
| 10:15 – 10:45 | From Problems to Solutions Practical introduction to human-centred design, users, value propositions and assumptions (30m) | Dr Vivian Chinwe Nnamdi Speaker |
| 10:45 – 11:15 | Tea Break (30m) | |
| 11:15 – 12:45 | Team Lab 1: Understand the Problem Teams examine their assigned challenge, identify target users, needs/pain points, existing approaches and underlying assumptions (1h 30m) | Multidisciplinary Teams & Facilitators |
| 12:45 – 13:30 | Problem Review with Mentors Each team presents its problem statement and receives challenge/feedback before designing the solution (45m) | Mentors & Teams |
| 13:30 – 14:30 | Lunch Break (1h) | |
| 14:30 – 15:00 | From Ideas to Testable Prototypes What constitutes a prototype; choosing what needs to be demonstrated rather than building everything (30m) | Mr Joshua Opoku Agyemang (IoT Network Hub Africa) Speaker |
| 15:00 – 16:30 | Team Lab 2: Define the Solution Define intervention, value proposition, key user journey, critical assumptions and prototype scope (1h 30m) | Multidisciplinary Teams |
| 16:30 – 17:00 | Day 1 Checkpoint Output: validated/refined problem statement + target users + proposed intervention + critical assumptions + prototype scope (30m) | Abigail Essel Speaker |
Tuesday 13 October: Build Sprint & Prototype
| Time | Session | Speaker / Details |
|---|---|---|
| 09:00 – 09:45 | Team Build Plans Teams present what they intend to demonstrate by the end of the day (45m) | Teams & Mentors |
| 09:45 – 10:15 | Technology Clinic Just-in-time introduction to relevant tools, data, AI, APIs, low/no-code, web/mobile etc. based on actual team needs (30m) | Technical Specialists |
| 10:15 – 10:45 | Build Sprint 1 Develop core user journey / proof of concept (30m) | Multidisciplinary Teams |
| 10:45 – 11:15 | Tea Break (30m) | |
| 11:15 – 13:30 | Build Sprint 2 Build the critical functionality or simulation needed to test the idea (2h 15m) | Multidisciplinary Teams |
| 13:30 – 14:30 | Lunch Break (1h) | |
| 14:30 – 16:00 | Build Sprint 3 Integrate data/content, complete prototype flow and prepare demonstration (1h 30m) | Multidisciplinary Teams |
| 16:00 – 16:30 | Mentor Prototype Review Mentors test whether the prototype actually demonstrates the team's central proposition (30m) | Mentors & Teams |
| 16:30 – 17:00 | Day 2 Checkpoint Output: testable prototype + defined assumptions/questions for user testing (30m) | Amina Ramallan (WACREN) Speaker |
Wednesday 14 October: Testing & Refinement
| Time | Session | Speaker / Details |
|---|---|---|
| 09:00 – 09:30 | How to Test an Idea What constitutes useful evidence; testing assumptions rather than asking whether people "like" the prototype (30m) | Ms Chineme Esor Speaker |
| 09:30 – 10:45 | User Testing Round 1 Intended users/domain representatives interact with prototypes; teams observe and collect structured feedback (1h 15m) | Ms Zainab Usman Speaker |
| 10:45 – 11:15 | Tea Break (30m) | |
| 11:15 – 12:00 | Team Lab: What Did We Learn? Analyse feedback: confirmed assumptions, rejected assumptions, unexpected findings (45m) | Multidisciplinary Teams |
| 12:00 – 13:00 | Refinement Sprint 1 Prioritise and implement the most important changes (1h) | Multidisciplinary Teams |
| 13:00 – 14:00 | Lunch Break (1h) | |
| 14:00 – 15:15 | Refinement Sprint 2 Improve prototype and test critical changes (1h 15m) | Multidisciplinary Teams |
| 15:15 – 15:45 | Demo & Evidence Preparation Teams prepare problem → evidence → solution → prototype → learning → next-step story (30m) | Teams |
| 15:45 – 16:30 | From Prototype to Pilot Teams share their 6-month detailed step-by-step plan (introducing the transition from 4-day prototype to 6-month development/pilot) (45m) | Teams & Mentors |
| 16:30 – 17:00 | Day 3 Readiness Review Output: refined prototype + user evidence + lessons + initial 6-month development hypothesis (30m) | Amina Ramallan (WACREN) Speaker |
Thursday 15 October: Community Day & Demonstrations
| Time | Session | Speaker / Details |
|---|---|---|
| 09:30 – 10:00 | Registration & Networking Community members, partners and guests arrive (30m) | Guests & Community |
| 10:00 – 10:20 | Women in WACREN Community Day Opening Welcome address and expectations for the day (20m) | Abigail Essel Speaker |
| 10:20 – 10:40 | Keynote: Women, Technology & Climate Resilience Wider context and inspiration (20m) | Keynote Speaker |
| 10:40 – 11:40 | Team Prototype Demonstrations 6 teams × 12 minutes: problem, users, evidence, prototype demonstration, what they learned, what they need to prove next (1h) | All 6 Innovation Teams |
| 11:40 – 12:10 | Tea Break (30m) | |
| 12:10 – 12:40 | Expert & Mentor Reflections Structured feedback: desirability, feasibility, potential impact and key unanswered questions (30m) | Panel of Experts & Mentors |
| 12:40 – 13:10 | Partner & Community Spotlights Relevant communities and organisations; focus on resources and opportunities that could help teams (30m) | Partners & Community Leads |
| 13:10 – 14:00 | Panel: From the Lab to the Boardroom — Building a Leadership Path in STEM Connecting innovation activity with women's leadership and professional development (50m) | Invited Women STEM Leaders |
| 14:00 – 15:00 | Lunch & Networking (1h) | |
| 15:00 – 16:00 | Community Conversation Experiences, connections, country perspectives and opportunities for collaboration (1h) | Open Floor & Participants |
| 16:00 – 17:00 | Commitments & Closing Teams state what they will take forward; mentor/partner acknowledgements and closing remarks (1h) | Abigail Essel Speaker |
Registration & Contact
Apply or register for the event: https://indico.wacren.net/event/279/
For inquiries, contact the W-i-W Coordinator at wiw@wacren.net or call +233 501100457.