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Our Mission
To make STEM education equitable, practical, and student-led—no matter the setting.
Our Core Values
Equity
Innovation
Sustainability
Collaboration
Empowerment
Our Story
The Youth Institute of Science and Technology (YIST) was founded in 2006 by African Americans in the Diaspora as the Girls Institute of Science & Technology, with a bold vision to develop future leaders in science, technology, health, and entrepreneurship. The first campus, YIST Agogo in Asante Akyem, opened in 2006, followed by YIST Ejisu-Abenase in 2009. Together, these two campuses provided transformative early education experiences for hundreds of children—many beginning in nursery and kindergarten—who have since graduated from university as engineers, nurses, doctors, journalists, business professionals, and IT/computer engineers.
While both physical campuses have proudly completed their missions and are now gracefully closed, YIST’s legacy continues through YISTx—short for The YIST Experience. YISTx delivers future-ready programming in Coding, Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology (IT), Computer Engineering, and Critical Thinking, preparing the next generation of innovators, thinkers, and change agents.
YISTx is under the leadership of Dr. Kofi LeNiles, a prolific scholar of Maroon education and Director of the Howard University Verizon Innovative Learning Program. Together with the founding team, Dr. LeNiles is advancing a bold, African-Centred approach to education—bridging cultural heritage with innovation to meet the needs of a rapidly changing world.
This initiative reflects the enduring legacy of Diaspora collaboration and the Pan-African ideals of W.E.B. DuBois—whose intellectual legacy lives on through YIST’s founder, Shannan Akosua Magee, an alumna of the W.E.B. DuBois Department of Afro-American Studies at the University of Massachusetts–Amherst. It stands as a major contribution of Diasporans to Ghana, and serves as a powerful example of how Diaspora investment in education can have immeasurable and exponentially multiplying impacts—empowering communities, shaping futures, and building lasting bridges between Africa and its global descendants.
YIST at One of Ghana’s First Robotics Competitions – 2013
Just a year after robotics competitions began in Ghana, YIST proudly participated in this U.S. Embassy–sponsored event in Kumasi—marking our early commitment to STEM excellence.
From Rural Ashanti to Mechanical Engineer :
Christina Achaako’s YIST Journey.
Christina Achaako started her education at YIST in the rural Ashanti Region.
Today, she’s a Mechanical Engineer at Takwa Mining Fields. With over 20 years of experience leading STEM education, YIST is the most trusted name in preparing young minds—especially girls—to thrive in science and engineering.
Enrol your child in the YIST STEM Summer Camp and let them begin a journey that can transform their future.
STEM That Leads to Purpose
From nurses and doctors to engineers and software developers, YIST’s first graduates turned early STEM education into real-world impact. Their journeys are the legacy we continue to build.
Founder Honored by UNESCO
YIST Founder receives the Distinguished Women in Science Award at the 10th Anniversary of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, hosted by GES and UNESCO Ghana.
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