![Women in Tech Africa [africa's largest women in tech group]](http://www.womenintechafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/WomenintechSmall.jpg)
In the past few years there has been a flourishing number of self-organisation amongst African women in technology. Many focus on encouraging women entering the field as coders, IT managers and to establish enterprises that increase women's socio-economic well-being. Projects have also focused on improving self-reliance and livelihoods in rural areas.
In order to identify and learn from other Women in Technology organisations in Africa, Women in Technology Ghana spear headed and run the first Pan African women in tech virtual meet up which brought together over 150 women in technology roles across Africa and was featured in CNN.
The success of this process resulted established a formal Pan-African Network of Women in Technology to organise regular activities to provide effective support to women in technology across the African continent.
Women in Tech Africa’s Vision is three fold
• Creating today’s female leaders and role Models for tomorrow’s Women
• Showing the world what a strong African woman in capable of achieving
• Support African growth through technology
Africa Women in Tech is the brainchild of ICT4D GH Foundation
[slideshare id=48522779&doc=womenintechafricapresentation-150523194939-lva1-app6892]
Women in Tech Africa routinely runs event across Africa including:
• First Pan African Women in Tech virtual conference
• Quarterly meetings in Ghana showcasing successful women in tech in that country including head of Google, head of Microsoft Africa
• Joint Women and Tech and USAID Program on the subject of women and technology, the future of Africa
• Women in Technology sessions in Lagos Nigeria at Africa biggest social media event , social media Lagos
• Training for Women Entrepreneurs on the use on technology for business growth
My dream is to become a business management expert. I chose this career because, I want to help businesses make the right business decisions for success. The journey has not been easy because I never studied any business related course in high school or the University for that Matter except a little entrepreneurship I studied as a minor course during my undergraduate studies in Bsc. Agricultural Engineering. After graduation, I was posted to a bank to do my national service. I found it very confusing working in a business environment when I was coming from an engineering background. But I later realized that I was doing very well in that area. When I completed my national service, my mum who also runs multiple businesses, employed me as a manager for her businesses that gave me the opportunity to nurture my skills and gain a certain level of expertise. I began to execute my duties with so much flare and translated leads into sales. My appointment as regional coordinator for Youth Enterprises and Skills Development Center (YESDEC) catapulted my business management desire to another level. My region was adjudged the best during the project period. Since then I have managed and still managing other promising businesses. My dream is to reach the highest echelon in business management and strategy not only in Africa but internationally. Also to impact positively into the business culture focusing on African businesses. In order to achieve this, I will equip myself with the right knowledge, gain more practical experience and make a positive impact at every opportunity that comes my way.
SHORT BIO
Selasi Segbedzi holds a BSc. in Agricultural Engineering from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. She also holds an Executive Certificate in Projects Management. She
Oversees the day-to-day management and strategic direction of Jayset Consulting. She focuses on building high-performing teams, continuously improving our solutions and clients’ experiences, and identifying new services at the center of transparency and accountability, results management.
Selasi Segbedzi also served as the Regional Coordinator for Youth Enterprises and Skills Development Centre (YESDEC), a social intervention and innovation programme that develops the skills of young entrepreneurs, creating jobs and making jobs more accessible and actionable. Selasi has extensive experience in management, team leading and projects/programmes management, and working with governments and donors.
Previously, Selasi worked with Ghana Commercial Bank as a Back Office Executive, Barclays Bank as a Support Staff and currently at Afromod Trends as Operations Manager
Not just Girls go to school; it is Girls to Tech …
Our Android development Lecturer is a lady!!!
I get this expression of surprise from students every time I step into a class for the first time. My name is Rachael Orum or [G+], and I am a woman in Tech. I have great passion for Technology, this passion begun 8years ago (2007) when I was a level 100 student in the ICT Department at the “Université Africaine de Technologie et Management” Cotonou, Republic. of Benin I finished my Masters in Software Development Engineering in 2012. I learnt a lot while serving as an intern in some software laboratories in Benin and in Cameroun during my studies.
Coupled with my software orientation is a Degree in Linguistics which I acquired at the “Université D’Abomey Calavi”, Calavi. Rep. of Benin in 2009. I am an impending Doctorate Degree student in Computer Linguistics; I developed a prototype “Yoruba Language Individualized Language Learning ” software which I intend to work on.
I lecture programming languages (web and mobile) and databases at the “Université Africaine de Technologie et Management” since 2012. I also founded the [UATM Developers Orb] and the [Cercle de s développeurs de l’UATM]
I run a start up company [SENS ORBIT] since 2013; we have deployed soft solutions for some companies here in Benin. I am currently leading the Google Developers Group [Women Tecmakers’ community at Abomey Calavi], Republic of Benin.
I Chose Software Development engineering because I want to make the world a better place by creating software that solve people’s problems. Also, sharing what I know is an exciting thing for me. I love to teach young and passionate youth like myself.
Down the road of teaching tech.
My interest in Female Technological Awareness aroused when I was in level 100 in the University and found myself in a class of 40 boys with only 2 girls. I immediately realized that most girls do not have the luxury of having parents and folks like mine who made me believe I can do anything I love to do.
This became a clarion call for me. Through my few years of Lecturing, I encourage my students to go for the Software Development specialty; the female students in particular.
This has not yielded much fruit as the number of female students in the ICT department is still very few and those of them going for the Software Development specialty are even fewer. I cross-checked with other schools here in Benin, The statistics are the same.
This is because most students if not all, already decide what they want to become before filling a university admission form.
The solution to this, would only be introducing programming to girls before they are able to decide which career they want to venture in; that is WHEN THEY ARE STILL IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS/HIGH SCHOOLS.
Decision comes from interest; interest is birthed by knowledge.
I believe that the decrease in the number of females in the software industry is not a question of lack of interest but rather that of orientation. My vision is to have a lot Girls who go to school to study software development This vision will become a reality when more girls decide to dive into the world of information Technology at all levels.
This can be achieved if we center where girls can learn programming after school. We are sure to raise over 5000 girl developers within the space of 3 years.
THIS IS MY DREAM…
Bio
Lecturer
African University of Technology and Management
Algorithms, Web Programming, Xml galaxy and Databases
Links
[Women Techmakers community at Abomey Calavi]
Wikipedia defines technologist broadly: A technologist is a specialist who is trained to perform work in a field of technology. I believe a better definition of a technologist is “a person who manipulates resources in the most efficient manner using specialized technology available to complete a task”.
This really appeals to me as efficiency, sufficiency and creative thinking have been part of my life from when I was very young and thus has fuelled my desire to become a Professional technologist.
There have been uncountable engineering feats that have awed the world. From the first moon landing, the construction of the Hoover Dam, the Panama Canal, the Millau Viaduct to the Hadron Collider, used to discover the birth of the Universe, to the mechanics of a can opener, irrespective of the size of the project, engineering principles coupled with diligent application, have enhanced the accelerating technological age and have made our lives easier. On the flip side, it does not take long before one reads in the world headlines the signs of climate catastrophe, diminishing resources and human tragedy resulting from malfunctioning, poorly designed equipment and/or poorly engineered technology. These are the avoidable issues that we cannot afford to ignore.
From international world class mountain bikes to nail clippers, practically any part of anything man-made can be attributed to an engineer or more probably a team of engineers using a particular technology. Opportunities for improvement are everywhere; we just need the right sort of people and the technology to achieve them. I have been strongly influenced by having grown up in an environment of computing and technology. My mother, an IT officer, has always shared the benefits and challenges of her job and the way it impacted the rest of the organization and this sparked my enthusiasm for technology. I started out by being an intern in the network department of MTN, a multinational African telecom rising up to being a leader of a team of Data Centre Operations Engineers. I am currently the CEO of Zimba Group LTD, an IT firm that develops e-solutions for small and medium enterprises with a focus on women-led organisations.
I intend to be part of the new generation of technologists who help Africa rise to the challenge of developing efficient, ecologically aware and forward thinking regarding systems and technologies.
Technology is about using resources efficiently to find solutions to challenges. I find this not only fulfilling but enjoyable. I want to go to work each day, being part of a team and doing something to make a difference in Africa, is a dream job in my eyes.
Bio
Sherifah Tumusiime(Uganda)A fiery entrepreneur and independent thinker with proven abilities in web development, project management, communications, and IT services. She is an enthusiastic and high-achieving IT professional with a Bachelor of Computer Science with over 5 years’ experience in information systems. She is currently the CEO of Zimba Group Ltd, an Adtech company providing technical and software solutions for SME's.
Early enough in life I decided to always explore alternatives. I had expected it would always be sufficiently easy to execute any lifestyle changes I contemplated. From young years of wanting to be a lawyer to a brief turn-around in favour of medicine before finally settling into a soothing lull where I simply told myself I was going to be an engineer. An affinity for lighted screens, disassembling and assembling small gadgets was not enough
When I gained a first degree in Statistics and tried and failed to get a job and no mentor or professional body that would teach me to be the great statistician I so wanted to be, I acquired skills in web design. Seeming simple at the beginning, I discovered the field was much wider than I had been tutored. I soon began to feel like one very tiny fish in an exceedingly large ocean. When you do things that take you outside your comfort zone, you will constantly have to remind yourself that pain may be inevitable but misery is optional. Get ready.
One day in March 2015, I saddled up and began to take online classes to enhance my knowledge. Coupling it with my NGO job was not easy as there were many sleep-truncated nights. I sought out other web designers and asked questions. I did not get it instantly as even now I sometimes have to retrace my steps.
The greatest thing of all is I got better at my jobs. I dream of building wonderful, unconventional websites. I dream of inventing exceptional applications, soft-wares probably with programs so complex it would take almost donkey years for anyone to decode and make geniuses salute me. Every day I learn something new about technology that thrills me. And that thrill? That’s what assures me my dream is not a lie.
Bio
Azimath Adjassa
MY DREAM-Azimath Adjassa
Azimath is a Telecommunications & ICT Engineer. I’ve never heard the word Telecommunication until a year after my Baccalaureate. I’ve been thinking of studying medicine since childhood, but my father was not willing to send me abroad to study medicine. I then wasted one whole year after my Baccalaureate. A new academic year started and still I have no idea what I will do. As usual, my parents had several counsellors, I met Mr.……., one of the good one I must say (owner of one of the oldest pharmacy shop in Cotonou, Benin).
He shared with me how he became a pharmacist and gave me the current situation (at 2004) of medical/pharmaceutical field in our country. For the first time, I came to understand the true state of the health sector in my country. After 48 hours of thinking, I made a decision on my career so I went back to see him. He asked me if I already know what I am going to study and my answer was YES. He said OK tell me, I asked him this question: in which field of study can I use Mathematics and Physics. His answer was Telecommunication.
He then advised me to travel to Senegal since there are good private and regional universities there. When I went back home I explained everything that transpired between us to my mum. She started shouting and said well, you are on the right path to lose one more year because she knew that I may not able to travel to Senegal. Then we made a call trying to find private school in Porto-Novo Benin. Then I found my way into school only in two hours after spending twelve months searching.
Today I am a Telecoms & ICT Engineer & Specialized Master in Telecommunication Management (of Ecole Superieure Multinationale des Telecommunications –Dakar) with over 5 years of international experience in the sector. Currently I serve as Head of frequencies spectrum management of United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali. My career dream is surely become CTO of MTN Nigeria.
My name is Nisha Maharaj, MD of Niche Integrated Solutions- South Africa. I have an accumulated service record of 20 years within the Banking, Financial services and Telecommunications sectors of which more than 14 years have been served at either Senior or Executive Management level. In addition, I am a specialist in unsecured lending (microfinance). After having spent decades in financial services, I decided to embark on my own entrepreneurial journey in business.
Whilst exploring my options, I stumbled into the world of business in technology. All my consulting assignments led to problems around operational efficiencies which only technology could solve. In the space of the commercial and financial services arena in South Africa, we do not have very robust home grown technologies so I researched the globe to find solutions that could bring value to South Africa.
I was very fortunate to have cultivated partnerships with some of the global leaders in technology, to bring these solutions to my country. We have made headlines since my first year of operation having won two major bids with two South African banks, I saw success instantly with technology. Not only am I happy that I Decided to follow my instincts, I am also making a significant difference to the South African financial services arena, and our customers are satisfied. Technology has the potential to make your dreams come true –it changes the past, present and future
Author BIO
Nisha Maharaj(South Africa) CEO of NICHE INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS-SOUTH AFRICA
Deputy Managing Director UT Bank and one of the most powerful personalities in Banking in Ghana( Pearl Esua-Mensah)
Director of Mobile Web Ghana ( Florence Toffa)
Director of Innovation Grameen Foundation
CEO of EDEL Technology Consulting and Founder Women in Tech Africa
Citifm was on hand to feature our speakers on their #Cititrends program . listenhere
[WITA IS NOT ACCEPTING NEW CHAPTER LEADS AT THE MOMENT]
Are you interested in becoming Women in Tech Africa Head of Country ?
The Community is looking for leaders across Africa to spear head and run Women in Tech Africa Chapter in their country (We are looking for men and women in the Diaspora and the Continent)
Women in Tech Leaders who are committed to:
- Building a global network
- Representing their Country
- Providing leadership on the direction for their Women in Tech Africa Chapter
Requirement:
- Blogging once a quarter on what is going on in you r country or on a topic you are passionate about. It can be as little as 200 words.
- Posting articles and blog posts about women in tech in on the Facebook /twitter
- Meet twice a quarter virtually with all Tech Leaders at a Leadership Summit
- Run a Virtual event once a quarter to bring women across the continent together
- Participate in the organization of the Annual conference
- Hold local meet-ups
- Host other regional activities as you deem needed by the local community
- Participate in international events as the Women in tech Africa as representative
- Recruit members in your country
Term:
- One year. After one year we will celebrate your commitment and decide together if you would like to continue for another year.
If Already run a women in tech group in your country and want to be part of the umbrella body of women in tech Africa, to give you visibility outside your country you are also welcome.
Are you interested? Fill out this form.
CEOs (and almost C levels decision makers) need to ask certain high-level but tough questions of their digital marketing team and agency. This can be a hard task when new digital programs involve something they may not have direct experience with or when the language employed is often a tangle of acronyms and terms for which they have no context. So, on behalf of all the CEO's out there – here is a starting primer on what you might ask your teams responsible for digital strategy and execution:
Why should you approve that budget for the social media campaign ?
Don’t be bamboozled by meaningless vanity metrics such as the number of Facebook likes or Twitter followers (those can be cheaply purchased). Instead We will give you the tools to be able to suss and and ask the right questions to make sure you are not throwing Money Away!!
Please See Presentation below- Practical Strategies for navigating a career as a women in a technology role
- The art of career story telling for growth
Edel Technology Keynoted at the USAID Digital Development Forum at Labadi Beach Hotel | Accra, Ghana on Monday ,Jan 26, 2015
We were represented by our CEO Ethel Cofie , who spoke in the future of Technology in Africa.
Please See Presentation Below