Women in Tech holds industry forum to bridge gender gap in tech space

The Nigerian arm of WIT, a not-for-profit, global advocacy group for a gender-balanced tech ecosystem will hold its digital conference with the theme ‘Digitalizing Gender Equality for Brighter Economies’ on Wednesday, November 24, 2021. The event will also mark the official launch of the Nigerian chapter of the leading global technology advocacy group for gender rights.

The event will feature conversations from experts and key stakeholders from the technology industry where they will broadly discuss pertinent issues surrounding the actualisation of a gender-balanced tech ecosystem, upskilling women who are players in the tech space, attaining optimal participation of women in the industry, and tactfully proffer actionable solutions towards achieving a brighter economy.

Led by the Country Manager, Solape Akinpelu who is also the Co-founder, HerVest, a women-focused and inclusive fintech platform, the digital conference will also kick-off the WIT Nigeria Makeathon, the inaugural advancement program of the firm which aims to empower 1,000 girls and women spread across rural and urban settlements in Nigeria over a period of four months by upskilling them with varying degrees of digital, deep tech, and soft skills such as Product Design, Product Management, Software development, Data Science and Digital Marketing required within the technology ecosystem.

Commenting on the development, Solape Akinpelu said; “For the past 4 decades, the gender gap in tech has widened with only 1 woman in 5 people working in the industry today. With Women in Tech, we are helping to change this narrative as we continue to create newer ways to allow more women to embrace technology and take rewarding careers in the industry.

“Technology pervades every element of our culture, influencing how we live, create products, and work, among other things. Technology not only drives our economy but also creates our future. Women account for half of all consumers, and technology companies must reflect this in their product development teams.”

She noted that the event would be an avenue to bring to the limelight, the essentiality of WIT in the life of Nigerian women.

The launch of Women in Tech in Nigeria would be the fourth chapter for the global initiative in Africa having launched across African nations such as Angola, Zambia and South Africa in recent times. This is asides the presence the initiative has in over 100 countries globally.

The keynote address at the event will be delivered by Co-founder, Rising Tide Africa, Mrs Yemi Keri and Associate Dean & Professor of Information Systems at Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University, Professor Olayinka David West.

Other seasoned professionals already confirmed for the panel session include SVP, West Africa, Autochek, Mayokun Fadebiyi PhD; CEO/Co-Founder, Bankly, Tomi Majekodunmi; Founder, Cyber Girls, Confidence Staveley; Founder, Qshop Tech, Tarebi Alebiosu; Director Incubation Unite, CcHUB, Damilola Teidi-Ayoola, Chief Executive Officer, Rellies Works, Kemi Ogunkoya, Project Support Coordinator, EDC, Pan-Atlantic University, Halima Rabiu, Founder, OneHealth, Adeola Alli and CEO, Pennee Technologies, Emmanuella Mejero-Kunu.

The digital conference will attract industry professionals, key institutions, a strong delegation of players from the local and international tech community, CEOs of major international tech companies, regulatory authorities, technocrats, policymakers, affiliate industries and sectors, among several others.

ABOUT Women in Tech (WIT)

Women in Tech® Global is an international organization represented in over 100 countries with a double mission: to close the gender gap and help women embrace technology.

WIT has a mandate to empower 5,000,000 women to play an important part in the ecosystem by 2030, and, as a result, boost the sector as a whole. The initiative has a mandate to Create Impact Through Actions to Build Skills & Confidence, Setting Women Up for Success.

To deliver the mandate of upskilling and equipping women to be more contributive to the country’s economic growth, be more valuable to themselves and their family/society, the initiative majorly focuses on 4 areas; Education, Social Inclusion, Advocacy and Business. The global initiative has set its footprint in 100 Countries in 6 Continents, building a community of strong women and currently having 70,000 women as members.

The initiative has enjoyed the rich contributions and support of Elisabeth Moreno; Minister of Gender Equality, France, Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic; Former President of Croatia, Elisabeth Phir; Minister of Gender Equality, Zambia, HH Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi; Ruler of Sharjah, member of the Federal Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates, Muriel Pénicaud, Ambassador for the OECD and Former French Minister of Labour, Rosa Monteiro; Secretary of State for Gender Equality Portugal.

The global executives of WIT Global include Ayumi Moore Aoki as the Founder; Nadia Mannell as the Chief Experience Officer, Lori Rodriguez as the Chief Development Officer among many other exemplary women who run the initiative.

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