By Funmilola Gboteku
Tech4Dev, a non-profit organisation, has announced plans to empower 3,000 girls and women on its technology upskilling programme, Women in Techsters Fellowship, across 22 African countries.
Oladiwura Oladepo, Co-founder and Executive Director at Tech4Dev, made this known at a news conference organised to launch the call for applications for Women Techsters Fellowship Class of 2024, on Thursday in Lagos.
Oladepo listed the African countries as Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Egypt, South Africa, Ethiopia, DR Congo, Tanzania, Uganda, Algeria, Sudan, Morocco, Angola, Mozambique, Madagascar, Rwanda, Liberia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone and Gambia.
She said that the initiative which was a free one-year experiential learning technology upskilling programme was meant for women and girls between ages 16 and 40.
The initiative aims to empower girls and women across Nigeria and Africa with varying degree of digital, deep tech and soft skills required within the technology ecosystem
Oladepo added that Women Techsters Initiative was targeted at bridging the wide gender divide between men and women in the technology ecosystem as well as ensuring equal access to opportunities for all.
She said the programme comprises of six months of instructor-led intensive training, a six-month internship and enrollment into a mentorship programme to equip women with skills to build tech careers and tech-enabled businesses.
“Over the last five years, the Women Techsters Initiative has increased in reach and impact.
“We have come a long way from impacting just 2,400 women in Nigeria through our pilot programme, the Nigerian Women Techsters to most recently impacting 89,153 women in 2023.
“Our NGO has been able to do this through various Women Techsters sub-programmes which notably comprises of the Women Techsters Fellowship, bootcamps, masterclass and Tech-Girls Drive among others, “she said.
Oladepo said that in 2022, the Women Techsters Fellowship received a total of 14,782 applications, accepted 1,398 applicants and graduated 847 exceptional ladies who are now being supported to land technology jobs with their respective skill specialisations.
Speaking on the NGO, she said it was founded in 2016, to address the problem of low access to economic livelihood opportunities and economic inequalities that continue to plague the African continent.
Oladepo said they recognised that to address the problem effectively in the growing digital age, the NGO needed to bridge the digital gap and improve digital access and literacy across the continent.
She said in the course of solving the problem, they uncovered another challenge, which was the prevalent gender gap in the technology ecosystem.
Oladepo said that the gender gap was largely fuelled by stereotypes and cultural biases, especially in underserved communities, which motivated Tech4Dev to launch the Women Techsters Initiative.
“The Women Techsters journey is not just a commitment, it’s a bold mission to break down the barriers that hold women back from the thriving world of technology.
“We will continue this course until we achieve a 50-50 gender parity ratio between men and women in the African technology ecosystem.
“This audacious goal may seem impossible to some, but we will push boundaries, defy expectations, and lead the charge towards a future where women have equal representation and opportunities in tech, “Oladepo said.
She said that looking at Accenture’s Africa Developer Ecosystem Report 2021, majority of African developers were men totalling 81 per cent and 18 per cent female distribution.
Oladepo noted that the report was drawn from research carried out across 16 African countries with apparent gender gap in the technology ecosystem.
The co-founder added that the applications for the Women Techsters fellowship class of 2024 which commences in September, would go live at exactly 6.00 p.m. West African Time, today, April 27. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma