African Olympiad Academy’s (AOA) Pan-African Rising Stars Mathematics Camp Tour

By: Ann Mumbi 

African Olympiad Academy and Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa (CEMASTEA) gathered Kenya’s Top Teen Mathematicians for Olympiad Training and Talent Recruitment from 22 April to 27 April 2025 at CEMASTEA, Karen. Nairobi is the latest stop on the African Olympiad Academy’s (AOA) Pan-African Rising Stars Mathematics Camp tour. Rising Stars Camps recently took place in Johannesburg, Kigali, and Arusha and will continue on to Kampala, followed by Gaborone for PAMO 2025. 

The Rising Stars Mathematics Nairobi Camp is designed to close the gap between Africa’s math potential and globally competitive opportunities. Rising Stars believes there is math talent and potential at all schools across Africa and wants to help those talents reach their potential. The highly competitive math environment offered students skills, mentorship, and an opportunity to win a fully paid scholarship to AOA. The math-intensive camp prepared students for Olympiad competitions such as the Pan-African Mathematics Olympiad (PAMO) and the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). Participants participated in advanced problem-solving challenges and received mentorship from leading Olympiad coaches. 

Director STEM Research and Innovation Mrs. Gladys Masai (Third left, seated) poses for a group photograph with students and coaches of the African Olympiad Academy, Rising stars 2025 Mathematics bootcamp at CEMASTEA. Mrs. Masai who represented CEMASTEA Chief Executive Officer Mrs. Jacinta Akatsa challenged participants to lead leadership and mentorship programs in their schools and foster problem-solving skills. 

The students were selected from across Kenya based on their performance at the Kenya Math Olympiad (KMO), which is organized by CEMASTEA, the University of Nairobi and the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing (CEMC) based at the University of Waterloo. KMO reaches over 17,000 students from more than 250 schools. AOA recruited students at the event for the inaugural 2025 class of its STEM boarding high school in Kigali, Rwanda. Selected students were awarded full scholarships to attend AOA, inclusive of tuition, boarding, uniform, and travel expenses. 

African Olympiad Academy (AOA) Co-founder/ Executive Director, Mr.Arun Shanmuganathan after issuing letters of offer for full A-Level scholarship at AOA in Rwanda to Tumi Imani of Lukenya High school ,Baraka Mulwa of Mangu High school and Gilbert Ongoro and Shawn Tunai of Alliance Boys High School.The four are among 36 other students from various schools in Kenya who participated in a six-day Mathematics and problem solving bootcamp at the Centre for Mathematics Science and Technology Education in Africa (CEMASTEA) in Nairobi. 

The African Olympiad Academy (AOA) is a Pan-African boarding high school that provides high-achieving math and science students with a nurturing academic environment, rigorous training and opportunities to become globally competitive problem solvers who create impact in their communities. AOA’s curriculum is Olympiad training-based and rooted in African values with a holistic approach to education. 

For more information on AOA, please visit: www.aoa.school

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