Ivy Barley is a self-taught programmer, social entrepreneur and co-founder and chief executive officer of a Ghanaian technology company, Developers in Vogue. Barley’s passion for STEM and her of technology talent ensure her a position as Enterprise and Cloud Engineering manager at Microsoft Headquarters.
Developers in Vogue has launched its hub in Nima, Accra, providing a range of services such as training, mentorship and business incubation for African women involved in technology. In addition, Barley’s company exposes young girls to a diverse range of STEM careers such as data scientist, software development and engineer and information analyst, to mention but a few.
Profiled in international media
Barley has been profiled in several local and international magazines and news outlets. In 2022, she made headlines as one of three Ghanaian ‘Women in Tech’ across the international corporate space. She was also listed by Avance as one of the Top 50 Most Influential Young Ghanaians and recently featured in the Women in Tech publication of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Co-operation and Development to motivate women and girls to pursue STEM fields.
Inspiring academic journey
Barley attended Aburi Girls Senior High School before studying at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology towards a Bachelor degree in Actuarial Science. After completing her undergraduate degree, she enrolled for a Master’s degree (MPhil.) in Mathematical Statistics at the same university and graduated in 2017. According to Barley, Developers in Vogue aims to create a critical mass and pipeline of young and talented African women in technology who are keen to revolutionise the African continent. The company not only trains young women in the latest digital platforms, but also provide opportunities for real-time projects and jobs.
Barley believes in the effective use and deployment of digital and online platforms such as social media, blog and newsletters to share relevant technology related information and career experiences, as well as motivating more women to pursue technology. She also uses Twitter to host live audio conversations via a Twitter platform called #SpaceswithIvy where she highlights various scientists and share their experiences, insights, resources and opportunities in the tech industry.
Earlier this year, Barley announced the #100DaysChallenge for the African technologists to share and learn new technology skills their journey on Twitter. The challenge provided an ideal platform for tech enthusiasts to learn UI/UX design, data engineering, product management, technical writing and software development during the 100 days.
Awards and recognition
The influence and impact of Barley’s organisations is recognised by various international technology bodies. These include the IFC Sustainability Exchange: Invest for Tomorrow, the Women20 Summit in Berlin where the former German Chancellor, Angela Merkeland the ITU International Girls in ICT Day, were featured.
Some of the accolades Barley received include:
- Dec 2021 – Microsoft Global Hackathon 2021 Challenge Winner
- Nov 2021 – Tech Entrepreneur Award Winner – Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) Award
- March 2020 – She For Social Impact Awards
- Dec 2019 – Most Influential Young Ghanaian in Science and Technology
- Dec 2019 – Top 50 Most Influential Young Ghanaians
- Nov 2019 – F-LANE Finalist by the Vodafone Institute of Society and Communications
- Nov 2017 – Kwese GoGettaz Competition Finalist
- Apr 2017 – Winner, eSkills4Girls competition in Berlin, Germany
