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Women in Tech in Nigeria: Empowerment Through Technology

Women in TechIn 2021, women accounted for approximately 49.3% of Nigeria’s population yet only about 48% of Nigerian women aged 15 and older participated in the labor force, a rate that has dropped from about 57% in 2011. In fact, female unemployment in Nigeria has risen from about 3.7% in 2011 to 8.8% in 2021. This is why the work of organizations such as Women in Tech in Nigeria (WITIN) is so important. Women need support to gain economic independence, and encouraging female advancement in one of the fastest-growing industries could not be more fitting.

What is Women in Tech in Nigeria?

Women in Tech in Nigeria is both a nonprofit and an association, established for the purpose of empowering women girls and women through technology. It advocates for female leadership in the tech industry, equips women with digital skills, supports female entrepreneurship and campaigns for reforms that promote gender equality.

The categories of women WITIN targets include university students at any level of study in order to foster their interest in the tech industry, female graduates early in their careers, women returning to the workforce to whom WITIN provides returning programs and professionals switching from other industries to the tech industry. WITIN also caters to female entrepreneurs looking to technology for business growth, female veterans in the technology industry and rural women seeking jobs.

The organization partners with schools and educators to promote STEM subjects among girls and provides internship and volunteer opportunities to directly mentor them. Men who want to support women in technology can do so through WITIN’s #HeforShe movement. By bringing together women from different backgrounds in technology, WITIN has created a support system for women in the tech industry.

Recent Achievement

In 2022, Women in Tech in Nigeria stood as the runner-up for the WSIS Prize due to its WomenPRIDE.Africa program. WSIS refers to the World Summit on the Information Society, a U.N.-backed annual forum for those using information and communications technology (ICT) to promote sustainable development. The WomenPRIDE.Africa program promotes digital outreach to marginalized women, giving them access to the digital economy and teaching them marketable digital skills.

Notable Leadership

Martha Omoekpen Alade, the current executive director of Women in Tech in Nigeria, officially established the nonprofit association in 2009. She partnered with Google in 2011 to set up the Grassroots Women Empowerment Through ICT (GWEIT) online platform for women-run small businesses in rural Nigeria and these businesses continue to have an online presence even after the termination of the platform.

Alade led WITIN to partner with USAID and Intel in their respective initiatives, Women and the Web Alliance and She Will Connect, to empower women through technology, create entrepreneurship opportunities for young women in Nigeria and more. In 2019, Alade received the Community Impact Award at the Technology Playmaker Awards held annually by the digital tech lead Booking.com for WITINs efforts to harness technology to uplift 20,000 impoverished girls and women by 2022.

Looking Ahead

As the world grows more and more digitally interconnected, technology has evolved from a tool of economic development to one that promotes social and political development. Technology plays a critical role in the advancement of women’s rights and Women in Tech in Nigeria is one of many examples that solidifies this. It is, therefore, crucial to support advocacy efforts for gender equality and eliminate gender gaps in all industries altogether. This will be to the benefit of the communities in which empowered women live.

– Kena Irungu
Photo: WikkiCommons

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Global Startup Awards Recognize Top Technology Innovators

Global Startup Awards Recognize Top Technology InnovatorsThe Global Startup Awards (GSA) Africa is an initiative spotlighting the top technology innovators across the continent. African citizens from all 55 states will participate in the world’s largest independent startup competition for the first time.

GSA Africa is rapidly growing its community by bringing local tech innovators together from all regions within the continent. This includes Southern, Northern, Eastern, Central and Western Africa. The expansion is possible due to the accelerating progress of Africa’s tech ecosystem. According to Partech’s Africa Tech Venture Capital Report, activity grew by approximately half in 2020 despite the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. 

Contributing to the Tech Startup Ecosystem

Africa is experiencing monumental changes in the tech industry. More startup companies are being recognized for innovative methods. Startups have been finding solutions in food security, food production and farming methods that will strengthen industries throughout Africa. Caitlin Nash is the co-founder of the Global Innovation Initiation Group which hosts the GSA. She aims to showcase Africa’s innovative community on a global stage. Additionally, she shares the benefits of global exposure. Startups have an opportunity to gain access to a global network and collaborate across borders.

The GSA will reward participants in all aspects of the startup. This includes the startup itself, the people behind the startups and the organizations that support the creators. The GSA’s mission is to feed, industrialize and integrate Africa. This ties into the goal of improving the lives of people living in Africa. With rapid technological developments happening across the world, many countries are more capable of taking those opportunities to keep up. However, this leaves most developing countries behind in these innovations. Thus, these awards shed light on the importance of technological development in those nations.

According to the U.N.’s Technology and Innovation Report 2021, frontier technologies represent a $350 billion market that can potentially grow to $3.2 trillion in 2025. However, developing areas like sub-Saharan Africa are unprepared to adopt and adapt to these technological changes. The GSA will bring forward the innovations needed to help developing countries in Africa and around the world stabilize resources and improve the lives of citizens.

The Contest Categories

The Global Startup Awards will present 12 categories for the 2021 contest. Women in Tech represents tech startups owned and founded by women. AgriTech will award solutions in food security, production, farming methods and nutrition. In addition, HealthTech recognizes startups initiating medical innovations in BioTech, HealthTech, wellness and telemedicine (virtual care for patients) to improve the quality of life. CommerceTech will award the startup that works on using technology to enable commerce in Africa. This will range from mobile commerce to blockchain and cryptocurrency.

Another category is IndustrialTech. This category provides Africa’s industrialization with solutions for safety, mining, manufacturing, production, logistics, mobility and supply chain management. ESG Tech, or environment, social and governance tech, will award startups aiming to improve environmental, social impact and social government solutions. These solutions include areas like renewable energy, sustainability, recycling, water and sanitation. Startup of the Year will award the startup that is making the biggest impact on the economy and the world.

The Best Newcomer category will recognize a startup less than two years old that is already making a big impact within the tech industry. Moreover, Founder of the Year will award a startup founder or co-founder making progress with their leadership skills. It will highlight a role model for the next generation of founders. VC of the Year will recognize those achieving financial success while investing in innovative companies that can positively impact the economy and the world.

Finally, Best Accelerator and Incubator Program will recognize programs that help empower entrepreneurs to grow their craft by providing tools and resources to thrive. The Best Co-Working Space category will award a co-working space that provides services, support and resources to create an environment that fosters innovation.

Moving Forward

The Global Startup Awards will find, recognize and connect new innovators around the world. These startups have the potential to better the lives of people living in developing countries, and the GSA will help bring these companies to life.

– Nia Owens
Photo: Flickr

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Women in Tech: How Tech4Girls is Closing Gender Gap

Women in TechGlobally, information and communications technology (ICT) is rapidly becoming more and more important to the economy. However, ICT is leaving women and girls behind. In the world today, there is a gap of 250 million women compared to men using the internet. In developing countries, the gap is even bigger, with a 31 percent difference. There are 200 million fewer women than men in the world who own a mobile phone.

In the corporate world, only 3 of the Fortune 500 tech companies are run by women. These companies are IBM, Xerox and Oracle.  Barriers to the tech field for women include poverty, gender stereotypes and discrimination. It is important that these barriers be eradicated so that women can be included in the increasing digital economy. “Digital skills are indispensable for girls and young women to obtain safe employment in the formal labor market,” said the founder of Women’s Worldwide Web, a charity that provides digital literacy training for women in tech.

A Possible Solution: Tech4girls

In March 2018, GSMA, a company that represents the interests of mobile operators, started a program called Tech4Girls. Part of its programming is educational workshops for girls between the ages of 7-18. So far, it has reached more than 100 girls in North America, Latin America and the Carribean.

These workshops are designed for girls to have hands-on experience with technology, to come away with a sense of knowledge and accomplishment and to developing interpersonal skills. The goal of these workshops is to increase the confidence of girls in their technological abilities so that they may aspire to pursue technological careers.

Another objective of these workshops is to increase interest and involvement from other tech companies to involve girls in technology. They do this by building local and global awareness through “events, SDG tie-in, and external communications.” This is part of the effort to develop relationships with tech companies, groups and schools to create a sort of pipeline for girls in technology.

Implications for the Future

A 2017 study by the Brookings Institute found that since 2002, 517 of 545 occupations have increased their use of digital tools. With the future of the economy going digital, it is important that women have the opportunity to participate in order to prevent the impoverishment of women. According to U.N. Women, an estimated 90 percent of future jobs will require ICT skills. There is currently a shortage of 200 million ICT-skilled people in the job market. There is plenty of room for women in the economy; it’s just a matter of lowering their barriers to entry. An Intel study found that access to the internet for women could “contribute between $13-18 billion to annual GDP across 144 developing countries.” The implications for encouraging women to become more involved in technology go beyond helping women, but also improve the economy.

While there is a shortage of women in tech, companies like GSMA and their Tech4Girls programs are beginning to close the gap. Encouragement and resources for women and girls to gain digital literacy skills are vital in our ever-digitizing world. There is certainly more to be done, but these workshops that build confidence and improve skills are a great way to start.

– Sarah Faure
Photo: Flickr