The Country Manager, ALX Nigeria, Ruby Igwe, has called for a strengthening of the bond among women in technology, to ensure greater success.
She said this during a recent conference organised by Women in Tech Nigeria, in partnership with MTN Nigeria, to mark International Women’s Day, where she was one of the panellists.
During her talk on ‘Cultivating inclusive tech communities: Empowering the Next Generation’, Igwe emphasised the importance of not only attracting women to tech courses but also ensuring that they complete them to advance their careers.
She said, “If we are talking about bringing more women to the table, we must understand the different pain points and nuances that shape women’s participation in tech development. We have situations where women enrol for a tech programme and never finish because of different family challenges. What we do at ALX is to provide support systems that will allow for equality.”
She noted that most women suffered from personal mental barriers, adding, “The biggest challenge is the mental limitations that most women put on themselves. They must seek support system from other women and even men instead of competing against one another and hampering their chances of securing more opportunities, even in nuanced positions.”
Igwe averred that a robust and pragmatic mentoring system would help.
“Mentorship among women should be intentional. It is an investment that requires personal decisions from strong female leaders to reach out to young mentees within the tech industry,” Igwe noted.
In her keynote address, the Chief Executive Officer of HerVest, and Country Director of Women in Tech Nigeria, Solape Akinpelu, stated, “The goal of this event is for women to share experiences, expectations and visions that will spark trans-generational impact within the tech ecosystem.”
She noted that there had been an influx of talented women into the tech industry and praised the growth of women’s inclusion over the years.
She highlighted the activities of Women in Tech Nigeria, stating that over 2000 women have been empowered with tech skills since its inception in 2021.
The event, which featured break-out sessions, had other prominent panellists in attendance, including Senior Manager, Delivery, Ux & Automation, MTN Nigeria, Otasowie Ena-Unweni; Chief Commercial Officer, Sycamore, Onyinye Okonji; and Specialist in Advisory Services, Africa, Women’s World Banking and others.
ALX Nigeria is a tech accelerator providing world-class tech training to people in Africa and around the world.
