In line with Vbank’s promise of accelerating people faster towards their goals, the brand sponsored the inaugural Vbank Women in Tech Nigeria Makeathon to upskill over 1,000 women and girls, across 28 states, who were eager to learn relevant tech skills to set a solid foundation for a future-proof career.
These women were equipped with deep tech, digital marketing, data analytics, cybersecurity, product management, software programming, and soft skills.
The partnership also aims to tackle the scourge of unemployment by bridging the gender skills gap and helping more women embrace technology.
The 1,000+ beneficiaries of the maiden edition of the Makeathon initiative participated in a four-month free, capacity-building, digital literacy exercise which began in March 2022 and ended in June 2022.
They were equipped with relevant tech skills to build their tech competencies and enable them to contribute to the growth of Nigeria’s tech ecosystem.
The Makeathon initiative goes beyond upskilling girls and women between the ages of 18 to 45 years with requisite tech skills, to seeking internship opportunities for them in leading tech organizations in Nigeria and abroad. Thus far, more than 10 global tech firms have committed to offering some of the beneficiaries, who graduated last week, internship opportunities to put their skills to the test.
Commenting at the graduation ceremony, Gbenga Omolokun, the Managing Director, VFD Microfinance Bank (VBank), said; “We are proud of the graduands and how far they have come to be here today. We are pleased to be associated with an initiative that is committed to helping thousands of women and girls build flourishing careers in tech while simultaneously bridging skills and economic gender gaps in society. It is inspiring to have women with zero tech skills come into the space to learn and showcase their talents. We are committed to this initiative and will continue to do this to help more women achieve their tech goals.”
Also speaking during the graduation ceremony, Ayumi Moore, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Women in Tech Global, said; “These women whom we are celebrating today have been equipped with digital skills they can deploy across sectors. We are proud to have contributed to helping 1,000 women gain employable skills they can use to drive the growth of the tech ecosystem.”
Expressing her fulfillment at the completion of her Cybersecurity program, Grace Emmanuel who was hacked multiple times over two years where she lost her savings said, “In January 2022, I told a friend that I was going into tech, but I wasn’t sure what career path I wanted. Getting into the Makeathon program was a dream come true as I learned so much about information security, networking, web applications, the fundamentals, and levels of cyber protection. The learning was impactful, and I am grateful for this opportunity.”
Another beneficiary, Okosun Elizabeth who got training in Software Programming said; “When I got the opportunity to learn Software Programming, I was super excited because programming was a course, I wanted to learn but couldn’t get the opportunity. At first, I thought I wouldn’t understand the whole magic behind coding but when classes started, coding became a walk in the park. Thank you, Vbank and Women in Tech Nigeria for this wonderful opportunity.”
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