The United State Consulate has sponsored women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) from different continents through the TechWomen initiative which is a 5-week fellowship program in San Francisco and Washington D.C, aimed at helping women and girls further their careers in STEM through the power of mentorship and the tool which is networking. Its flagship was in June 2011 and it has since produced several alumni across the world over 8 years; alumni such as the ones who have now come together to organize the 1st TechWomen Nigeria Alumni Conference here in Lagos, Nigeria.
The event which was in collaboration with the U.S. Consulate, Lagos & ESDC, and the University of Lagos had in attendance individuals such as TechWomen Nigeria Alumni, U.S. Consul General – U.S. Consulate Claire Pierangelo who emphasized the place of knowledge and confidence as a vital tool for positive change and impact, stating that “knowledge is key, the network for that knowledge is key”, also UNILAG DVC Development Services, Professor Folashade Ogunsola who gave the welcome address where she spoke on how “it is not an option to have women in tech but a necessity seeing that women make up a good percentage of the workforce population” stating further that “technology is about using the tools that help us survive and solve problems”. She also went on to reveal that “the University will be getting an Innovation Lab next year which would start small but with software and powerful tools such as a 3D printer amongst others, with the hopes that ideas can be brought to life through prototypes that can be made in this lab” stressing that the institution is “open to partnership”.
Executive Director Lonadek Inc. Dr Ibilola Amao also present, gave a keynote address focused on the need to empower women in tech and encourage inclusion in the industry. Speaking on the subject matter she stressed that the “participation of girls and women in the industry is much lower than their male counterparts” evidenced in academic settings such as “classes where women and girls happen to be the minority; either 2 of 12, 2 of 50, I have always been in the ‘2 of’ until I finally found myself as the 1 in 19 at PhD level”. Stating further, she emphasized that “if we know that we have 20% of women participating in management and leadership levels, improves performance of companies, then it goes without saying that if we increase the percentage of women in management, industry, and entrepreneurship, the situation in Nigeria will become much better”. She urged everyone present to “step-up their game in terms of advocacy and performance to change the game in Nigeria”. She went on to say that “women are nation-builders and nurturers, we hold the key to a brighter future for Nigerians, if we collapse our silos, pull resources, potential, talent, and competencies together, most tangibly in STEM and Information Technology (I.T), I am confident that herein lies the power to disrupt Nigeria from downward spiral to a nation where merit, truth, and justice reigns. My charge to each of us here is today is to innovatively apply the knowledge that we have as individuals and collectively in teams to become game-changers for a better society, better Nigeria, and a better world at large. With the women’s network such as TechWomen, we must use our capacity, capability, and competence to deliver value and maximum impact”.
Others present were the Director and Deputy Director of the Entrepreneurship and Skills Development Center (ESDC) UNILAG, Associate Professor Sunday Adebisi and Dr Ayodele Shittu respectively, Founder/E.D Women’s Technology Empowerment Center – Oreoluwa Somolu Lesi, Founder of Pearls Africa Youth Foundation – Abisoye Akinfolarin, CEO Smids Animation Studios – Damilola Solesi, CEO and Founder of DIYLaw – Odunoluwa Longe, Country Director Solar Sister – Olasimbo Sojinrin, and Founder/CEO Pearl Recycling – Olamide Ayeni Babajide.
The event which held at the University of Lagos came to a close with the announcement of the ongoing application for the 2020 cohort of TechWomen which is expected to run from September – October 2020.
