In the first half of 2022, the World Forum (WEF) announced the names of 100 tech startups selected for the 2022 World Technology Pioneers cohort which included six startups from four African countries: Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda and Cameroun. However, between 2013 and 2021, only 3% of the funding for African early stage startups was given to all-female startups. This shows the gender-gap problem in Africa’s entrepreneurial technology ecosystem. Yet, the numbers of African women flooding the tech space is increasing annually. This list comprises women who have contributed significantly to African Tech, but in no order of seniority. Here are 20 notable African women in tech ecosystem:
1. Fara Ashiru Jituboh (Nigeria):
Co-founder and CEO of Okra. She received the Forbes Woman African Tech and innovation award. Okra allows the secure exchange of real-time financial information between customers, applications and banks.
2. Saadat Aliyu (Nigeria):
A Kano indigenous and pioneer of HELP! O ; an anti-rape app that helps sexually abuse victims.
3. Judith Owigar ( Kenya):
A social entrepreneur and founder of Juakali; a mobile service for industrial workers to share ideas and expertise in Kenya.
4. Olayinka David-West (Nigeria):
Professor of Information systems and marketing, Senior fellow of Lagos Business School. She also mentors young women in STEM.
5. Rebecca Enonchong (Cameroun):
CEO of Apptech; global provider of enterprise application solutions. Founder of I/O spaces; an incubator for African despair in the USA.
6. Nneile Nkholise (South Africa):
A medical practitioner and CEO/ founder of iMed Tech; a biotechnology company. She is also the founder of 3DIMO (a 3-dimensional imaging and modeling system for operations).
7. Nkemdilim Begho (Nigeria):
An IT solutions provider, CEO of future software resources Ltd. She has been in tech for 10 + years.
8. Ire Aderinokun (Nigeria):
Co-founder of Helicarrier , co-founder of Frontstack; a conference to grow developer ecosystem exposure. Co-founder of COO and VP engineering of Buycoins for cryptocurrency. She built her first website at age 13 , and is a self-taught front-end developer. Also, she specialises in HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
9. Betelhem Dessie (Ethiopia):
A 23-year-old tech innovator. At age 12 , she worked at an Information network security agency (INSA). She’s the CEO of iCog; the first artificial intelligence lab in Ethiopia.
10. Hamdalah Adetunji (Nigeria):
A front-end web developer, she switched her career from science laboratory technology to Information security. She is currently working in Andela, Nigeria.
11. Kemisola Bolarinwa (Nigeria):
CEO Nextwear technology, creator of Smart Bra. She is a graduate of electrical and electronics engineering at The University of Ado-Ekiti.
12. Ada Nduka Oyom (Nigeria):
Founder of She Codes Africa (SCA); an Recent and non-profit organization aimed at building an active community of women in technology.
13. Yanmo Omoregbe (Nigeria):
Co-founder and director of growth at Bamboo; a digital investment platform. She is a graduate of chemical engineering at Imperial College London.
14. Seun Runsewe (Nigeria):
Senior product manager at Chippercash. She has worked at Paystack and Opay. She was also recognized in the Future Project as an honoree of #YTech100.
15. Olatominwa Williams (Nigeria):
Country manager at Microsoft, Nigeria and Ghana. She is a graduate of computer science. She has 21 + years experience in tech and has been at Microsoft for 10 + years.
16. Odunayo Eweniyi (Nigeria):
A co-founder of Piggy vest, first class graduate of computer engineering. She has received the Forbes Woman Africa tech and innovation award. She is a business leader and has experience in business analysis and operations technology.
17. Juliet Ehimuan Chiazor (Nigeria):
Country manager at Google Nigeria. A first-class graduate of computer engineering. She has worked with Microsoft UK for six years.
18. Mohini Ufeli (Nigeria):
Media manager at Paystack. A graduate of English and Media Journalism. She has eight years’ experience in tech.
19. Jane Egerton-Idehen (Nigeria):
Co-founder of international institute of electronics and electrical engineers(IEEE). Founder of Women N Careers. She studied electronics engineering at the University of Nigeria. Currently, she is the head of sales at META (Middle- east and Africa).
20. Blessing Abeng (Nigeria):
Co-founder and director of communications of Ingressive for Good; a non-profit organization to empower 1million African youths, provide 25,000 jobs and award $ 1million in scholarships by 2025.
Giant strides in technology are still being made as the number of women innovators in Africa keeps increasing. There is still room for women to do more in the tech space.
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