Being in a society dominated by men is one of the biggest challenges faced by women in technology, not only in Nigeria but in the whole world.
It is a fact that the doors of many initiatives and opportunities are closed to women precisely because they are such.
Today, rising above these limitations and getting another woman to hold your hand has become the goal of many women in technology.
There is a need to give strength to those who are still halfway, bring together women capable of changing courses, and transform their environment by focusing on each other.
Women offer diverse viewpoints that can create groundbreaking solutions in the tech context. As such, an inclusive ecosystem can birth and enable the creation of solutions that address real-time challenges.
The more a country transforms into an innovation-led economy, the more critical role a woman’s talent plays in the transformation process. So, women’s participation in tech enables a nation to position itself as a potential global player and highly competitive in innovation-led ventures.
Ruby Igwe, the country manager at ALX Nigeria, speaking on the subject at a Women In Tech event emphasized the importance of collaboration among women and addressing challenges.
Igwe highlighted the importance of attracting women to tech courses and ensuring they complete them to advance their careers. She identified common challenges faced by women, including financial constraints, childcare responsibilities, geographic limitations, marital commitments, and personal setbacks.
“If we are talking about bringing more women to the table we must understand the different pain points and nuances that shape women’s participation in tech development. We have situations where women enrol for a tech programme and never finish because of different family challenges. What we do at ALX is to provide support systems that will allow for equality.”
Igwe also urged experienced women to mentor younger women to boost their confidence and provide guidance.
“The biggest challenge is the mental limitations that most women put on themselves. They must seek support system from other women and even men instead of competing against one another and hampering their chances of securing more opportunities in nuanced positions.
“Mentorship among women should be intentional. It is an investment requiring strong female leaders’ personal decisions to reach out to young mentees within the tech industry,” Igwe said.
The tech ecosystem is the interrelated network of various players. Thus, the Women in Tech project echoes that no one should be left behind in the ecosystem, even if no one is seen as physically left behind.
There are so many ecosystem gains of promoting equal opportunities that include but are not limited to, the fact that Nigeria will achieve an increase in the number of ICT innovators.
Addressing the issue, Solape Akinpelu, the CEO of HerVest, and country director Women in Tech Nigeria, said:
“The goal of this event is for women to share experiences, expectations, and visions that will spark trans-generational impact within the tech ecosystem.”
She noted that there has been an influx of talented women into the tech industry and praised the growth of women’s inclusion over the years.
She highlighted the activities of Women in Tech Nigeria stating that over 2000 women have been empowered with tech skills since its inception in 2021.
Regarding technology, it is common to see only men in the sector. However, it is expected that the collective intelligence of both men and women in tech will increase, a large pool of talent will be maximally tapped into, and the tech community will attract the best talents.
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