Favour Osoba
The initiative is aimed at bridging the wide gender divide between men and women in the technology ecosystem as well as ensuring equal access to opportunities for all, Oladepo reaffirmed in her keynote address at the announcement.
She also noted that the Women Techsters Initiative had stepped out of its birthplace in Nigeria and grown its footprint across Africa by supporting more women with tech skills and increasing their employability or even doubling their income. From impacting just 2,400 women in Nigeria through its pilot program, the Nigerian Women Techsters, to most recently impacting 89,153 women in 2023 through our various Women Techsters subprograms which notably comprises the Women Techsters Fellowship, Bootcamps, Masterclass which are our training programs, and the Women Techsters OpenDay and TechGirls Drive, which are our advocacy programs.
The fellowship is a oneyear experiential learning technology upskilling program. It empowers young girls and women between 16 to 40 years across Africa with global indemand skills ranging from digital, deep tech, and soft skills, which are essential to kickstart a career in the tech ecosystem.
The notforprofit organisations core focus has been improving womens access to careers in tech through a partnership with Microsoft and the Islamic Development Bank.
On the International Girls in ICT Day for 2023, Tech4Dev announced its Women Techsters Fellowship for the class of 2024, which begins in September 2023.
While Africa is losing some of its developers due to global demand, there is still a steady rise in the number of people joining the ecosystem, and more women are finding new career paths in tech, thanks to Tech4Dev.
Now in its sixth year, Tech4Dev, founded by Diwura Oladepo and Joel Ogunsola, is bridging the digital literacy gap in Africa.
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