At the moment, only 28% of women globally pursue careers in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM), the result of ingrained social, cultural and gender norms. Across the world, girls face limited educational pathways and resources within STEM subjects.
The Rise in Africa of Female-Led Businesses
According to the United Nations Africa Renewal Magazine, sub-Saharan Africa sSA) has the world’s highest rate of women entrepreneurs (27%). It is expected that 2.5 million engineer and technician jobs will be created in sSA Africa providing women with more opportunities to pursue a career in tech.
To encourage other women to enter Africa’s tech industry, African women have started initiatives promoting and investing in women interested in the tech field; African Women in Tech, FirstCheck Africa, #HerFutureAfrica; all notable initiatives led by African Women. WINS highlights five inspiring women who have contributed to the rise of women in the male-dominated tech field.
( FB)
- Nthabiseng Mosia from South Africa; entrepreneur, co-founder and chief commercial officer of Easy Solar in West Africa, supplying electricity to communities with little or no access to the grid – 350 000 residents of Sierra Leone’s communities now have access to affordable energy.
(FB)
- Rachel Sibande from Malawi: founder of mHub, entrepreneur and computer scientist. mHub is a tech hub for especially female innovators and entrepreneurs, providing access to financial and investment support across five countries.
Sibande has established the Girls Coding Club, Children’s Coding Club, a Robotics Club and Machine Learning community camps, encouraging more girls and women to pursue careers in tech.
(Wikipedia)
- Farida Bedwei from Ghana: software engineer and disabilities rights advocate, chief technology officer and co-founder of software company Logiciel, developing technology solutions and providing micro-banking systems for more than 600 financial institutions. Bedwei was named one the most influential women in business in Ghana and a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2016.
(LinkedIn Nigeria)
- Jumoke Dada from Nigeria: tech consultant and founder of Tech Women Network,which provides a platform for women in tech to showcase their skills. Dada is also involved with HUE Tech Summit, an event for women of colour in tech as well as Techies Who Brunch, helping women connect in the industry.
(Wikipedia)
- Rebecca Enonchong from Cameroon: advocate for technology entrepreneurship and innovation. She is chairperson of ActivSpaces, the African Center for Technology Innovation and Ventures and founder and CEO of AppsTech. ActivSpaces is a tech hub in Cameroon that promotes and supports young people to have successful careers. AppsTechprovides tools for tech entrepreneurs to grow their enterprises such as license sales, implementation and training services.
Note: Edited and rewritten from the Borgen Project.
