The month of March holds a very significant day for the celebration of women across the world. International Women’s Day is an annual event that will see this year’s celebration holds on Tuesday, March 8, 2022.
In preparation for the day, techbuild.africa would be spotlighting different African women who have made waves in the field of technology and investment.
As this year’s theme for IWD 2022 reads #BreakTheBias, these women have broken the bias in a male-dominated space.
Stay relaxed as you enjoy our first article for IWD 2022
On the surface, Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rate of female entrepreneurs in the globe and that can’t be denied but when you dig a little further, you’ll find that most female-led companies in Africa are tiny businesses with limited development potential.
In addition, female entrepreneurs are not uniformly distributed across Africa. Botswana, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia are among the countries with abnormally large populations.
Only 9% of tech startups in Africa have female CEOs, so it’s no surprise that it’s been dubbed “a man’s world” numerous times.
Women are culturally educated from an early age to believe that certain behaviors, work, or endeavors are only for men. Women are frequently forbidden from aiming ‘too high.’, as a result, they are more likely to join small businesses.
Another important aspect is that there are few female role models in Africa’s tech business. Role models may encourage the next generation of female leaders, and this is changing rapidly as more women enter and even take over the tech industry.
In no particular order, here are 5 African women leading
These women are leading these tech companies
Blessing Abeng (Nigeria)
Blessing Abeng is the co-founder and communications director of Ingressive For Good, an Edtech non-profit with the goal of empowering one million African youngsters, creating 5000 jobs, and awarding $1 million in scholarships throughout the continent by 2025.
Simply put, Blessing Abeng is the woman you approach when you have a big goal for your tech company but aren’t sure how to get there.
She provides unrivaled expertise of the African tech market and a commitment to organic company expansion predicated on a thorough knowledge of the African consumer to Disha, a tech product for artists and businesses.
Rebecca Enonchong (Cameroon)
Rebecca Enonchong is the founder and CEO of AppTech, a business that has been around for almost two decades. With customers in more than 40 countries across three continents, AppsTech provides deployment, coaching, and application administration services.
She has a diverse and impressive resume that clearly distinguishes her as a woman leader in the tech business.
Her work has landed her on Forbes’ list of 10 Female Tech Founders to Watch in Africa, Black Enterprise’s 2014 Women of Power, New African’s 50 Leading Women in Business in 2013, IT News Africa’s 10 Africans Making Waves in Technology, and many other.
Judith Owigar (Kenya)
Judith Owigar is a Kenyan social entrepreneur who developed JuaKali, a directory for Kenyan blue-collar employees and currently heads it.
She started the tech firm in 2015, and it has been essential in assisting its customers in securing their livelihoods since then.
Customers of the JudiKali service can develop an online profile that highlights their knowledge and connects them with institutional and individual customers.
Her tech project is motivated by her view that knowledge and awareness are two essential factors for achievement.
However, it goes without saying that technology is the common thread that binds everything together. This line of thought also prompted her to found AkiraChix, an organization whose mission is to support women who use technology to produce African inventions and solutions. In 2011, she established AkiraChix.
Rasha Rady (Egypt)
Rasha Rady is an academically trained doctor who ventured into the realm of entrepreneurship to assist more people and make a greater impact.
With the dream of always wanting to solve a problem with her profession, Rasha co-founded Chefaa, a digital platform driven by AI and GPS that enables chronic patients to order, schedule, and renew recurring medicines irrespective of their location or income.
Chefaa Prime covers all healthcare services, including some that aren’t generally covered by insurance, and it’s especially important in Egypt, where 92 percent of the population is uninsured.
Zandile Keebine (South Africa)
Zandile is the founder and CEO of GirlCode, a non-profit organization (158-642) dedicated to women’s empowerment through technology.
Several young women in Africa have been inspired by the initiative since its start. The GirlCode Digital Academy, the GirlCoder Club, the GirlCode Accelerator Program, and the GirlCode Incubator project were all launched in 2018. The GirlCode SMME accelerator is a fast-growing initiative for female-owned tech businesses.
Zandile is committed to ensuring that she leverages her platform and any resources she has to develop and grow the potential of young women in Africa. As such, she is the founder and CEO of Empower Xx, a tech placement firm that assists women in obtaining some of the most sought-after STEM professions available.
These African women, as well as many more who head tech enterprises in Africa, serve as role models for other women. As more African women enter the tech field, it will no longer be referred to as a man’s world.
Thanks for staying with us through to the end as this is just one of the few articles we have in line for you towards IWD 2022 in spotlighting African women breaking the bias.
Don’t miss important articles during the week. Subscribe to techbuild.africa weekly digest for updates.
