Malize: Female Tech Leaders Driving Transformational Changes in Economy

Oluchi Chibuzor

Female tech leaders are leading transformational changes across several sectors of the economy, the Managing Director/CEO of FITC, Chizor Malize has said. 

To highlight their contribution, she said the FITC has released a list of Top 50 Women in Tech, in honour of women who are leading the way, and spearheading technology drive and innovative impact in their industries. 

According to her, the inaugural FITC Top Women in Tech list, which recognised women in diverse sectors, was unveiled at the FITC International Women’s Day event themed; “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology as Enablers for Gender Equality,” held in Lagos. 

According to Malize, these women were painstakingly selected focusing on critical factors such as innovation, leadership, and societal impact, with a notable focus on technology for good.

 The hybrid event was a gathering of thought leaders, technology experts, female leaders, and representatives from several organizations within the financial services sector and beyond, in a highly engaging panel session.

In her address, Malize, noted that the focus of International Women’s Day for the year 2023, which is #EmbracingEquity, and the theme of the FITC IWD 2023 event: “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology as Enablers for Gender Equality”, is a call to action for the need to have inclusive and transformative technology and digital education for women and girls, which is crucial for a sustainable future, as advancements in digital technology offer immense opportunities to address development and humanitarian challenges, and to close the inequality gap. 

 Delivering the keynote address on behalf of the Chairman, FITC Board, and Deputy Governor, Financial System Stability, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mrs. Aishah Ahmad, the Deputy Director, Other Financial Institutions Department, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mrs. Monsurat Vincent noted that the financial system is critical in addressing the gender divide, being the centre point for promoting economic integration and digital financial services. She further noted that education can make it easier to promote equity. “Technology through the internet has made it easier than ever before for women to access educational resources and learn new skills. Women can now gain knowledge and expertise that may have once been out of their reach,” she said.

Non-Executive Director, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Rabi Isma, reiterated that technology helps to ensure that the woman who wants to stay home to cater to the kids can still launch a business in the comfort of her home, thus making it possible for women to access the world from wherever they are, run their businesses. 

Ashley Immanuel, Co-Founder/COO Semicolon highlighted the importance of data, and the need to collect and use data to yield insights for the achievement of gender equity.