Country Manager, ALX Nigeria, Ruby Igwe, has urged women in technology to put aside their differences and deepen common interests to collaborate for greater achievements. Igwe was a lead panelist on Friday, 26th April at an conference organized by Women in Tech Nigeria, in partnership with MTN Nigeria to mark the International Women’s Day.
While speaking on the topic: “Cultivating inclusive tech communities: Empowering the Next Generation,” Igwe highlighted the importance of not only attracting women to tech courses but also ensuring they complete them to advance their careers. She identified common challenges faced by women, including financial constraints, childcare responsibilities, geographic limitations, marital commitments, and personal setbacks.
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 participation in tech development. We have situations where women enroll for a tech programme and they 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 suffer from personal mental barriers. “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,” she noted. When asked about more solutions to the challenges of self-belief among young women in tech, Igwe called for a more robust and pragmatic mentoring system. “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 said.
In her keynote address, CEO HerVest, and Country Director Women in Tech Nigeria, Solape Akinpelu, said: “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 has been an influx of talented women into the tech industry and praised the growth of women 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 panelists in attendance; Otasowie Ena-Unweni, Senior Manager, Delivery, Ux & Automation, MTN Nigeria; Onyinye Okonji, Chief Commercial Officer, Sycamore; Olajumoke Daramola, Specialist in Advisory Services, Africa, Women’s World Banking and others.
