Nigerian women Techsters: Training the Next Generation of Women Techpreneurs

The Nigerian Women Techsters (NWT) has announced a learning programme to train over 7000 women in digital literacy especially analytical skills and coding.

Announcing this at a press conference in Akure, the Ondo State capital, programme manager of the Nigerian Women Techsters Initiative, Peace Odili said the programme partly funded by Microsoft, will train 7,200 women between the ages of 18-40 on coding skills across 12 states in Nigeria over a 3-year period.

Odili explained that the pilot training which will hold within the next one year will have 2,400 participants from Ondo, Ekiti, Oyo, Edo, Kogi, Kwara, Abia, Imo, Rivers, Kano, Kaduna and Kebbi States.

The programme manager said interested young women should apply to be part of the initiative on  www.nigerianwomentechsters.org with the first cohort scheduled for Ondo, Ekiti and Oyo states.

The Nigerian Women Techsters initiative is also importantly focused on increasing women participation across all technology fields by directly increasing the female talent pool through training in turn allowing young women access to the immense untapped opportunities that exist within the technology space – Peace Odili (Programmes Manager, Nigerian women techsters)

Executive Director of Tech4Dev (The Not for Profit Organisation organising the experiential learning program), Joel Ogunsola said his group is a social enterprise non-profit focused on solving the world’s greatest problems through technology with primary focus on public health, civic engagement and education.

Ogunsola said the Nigerian Women Techsters Initiative was conceived to help solve the growing problem of unemployment that has continued to plague youths, especially young women in rural communities.

 

“Tech4Dev with support from Microsoft is partnering the Office of the First Ladies, State Ministries of Women Affairs and the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs across  12 States in Nigeria with high female – male parity within the technology sector, to establish the Nigerian Women Techsters Initiative.” – Joel Ogunsola

 

The initiative aims to increase the number of young women who are actively involved in STEM fields as well as choose a career in technology as well as ensure that the knowledge gap is bridged in rural communities resulting in healthy enterprises capable of improving the national GDP over the next 3 years.

In the past one Month in Ondo State, we have had “SolarGirls4Naija”.

ICT summer camp for young girls.

One Connection; the Digital Mama. Hence, it did not come as a surprise that the Ondo State first lady, Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu is the chairperson of the Advisory Board of the Nigerian Women Techsters Initiative.

While giving her remarks at the press conference, Mrs Akeredolu expressed excitement and commitment to the programme which she described as timely. She said empowering young girls on ICT is a sure way to give them a better future and solve the nation’s numerous problems.

“This is one programme we will support in Ondo state because we are committed to bridging the digital divide through empowerment of the girl child. Our preoccupation is not just to bridge the gender gap, but to use ICT to solve social problems. The focus is to equip the ladies with the needed skills to make a difference.” – Mrs. Akeredolu

 

Microsoft Philanthropy lead in Nigeria, Sola Amusan explained that the company is fully in support of the learning experience as it aligns with its drive to empower organisations and people to achieve more. He explained that Microsoft supported the project aimed at providing an enabling environment to ensure that more women are in Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) related fields and empower women to take their place among the comity of nations.

Training sessions would take place both virtually over the week (with participant taking online courses in entrepreneurship and change making), and physical training sessions over the weekend facilitated by professionals from our technical resource partners Nest School of Technology and DevsDistrict.

At the end of the training, the projects aims to enable 30% of the trained women, establish their startup enterprises of technology, to equip 40-50% of the participants with digital skills and champion an advocacy for the employment of women in skilled technology related jobs that offer great prospects of high remuneration which in turn helps to ensure a growing GDP and economy.

Registration and the training is completely free of charge. To register, visit www.nigerianwomentechsters.org to sign up and complete the registration process. More importantly, kindly complete the baseline survey to help us track the impact of the Nigerian Women Techsters initiative as powered by JAMA.

Are you a lady within the age range of 18-40 in Ondo, Ekiti and Oyo States and is interesting in a career in science and technology… this is a great opportunity.

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