WeTech Spearheads Growth of Women Tech Entrepreneurs Through Annual Conference

Traditionally, women have been underrepresented in the global tech sector, and Nigeria is no exception. This gender gap results from societal stereotypes, limited access to education, and workplace biases.

Research underscores the value of diverse teams, yet women make up only 33 percent of the global tech workforce, with a ratio of 3:1 favoring men. This disparity poses a concern for economies, especially in regions like Nigeria, striving for diverse and skilled workforces, particularly with the predicted dominance of AI, Machine Learning, and Augmented Reality in future job markets.

Recognizing this need, Women in Technology (WeTech) emerged in 2018 as a non-governmental organization, focusing on fostering more women tech entrepreneurs. WeTech’s flagship event, the annual Women in Tech Conference, launched in 2022, unites inspiring female leaders and provides mentorship, professional development resources, and hiring opportunities.

The 2nd annual conference, themed ‘Founders Conference: Women Defining Tech Entrepreneurship,’ emphasized WeTech’s commitment to breaking barriers. The conference featured a founders pitch segment, awarding N1.5 million seed funding to a promising tech startup.

Gabriella Uwadiegwu, WeTech’s founder, highlighted the urgency of increasing women’s representation in tech. The deliberate selection of conference speakers, including women who secured institutional capital and venture investors, reflects WeTech’s strategy to impact the tech community positively.

With over 2,000 women impacted and programs enabling more than 100 women, WeTech aims to address bottlenecks limiting women’s participation in Nigeria’s tech sector.

Conference discussions emphasized the pivotal role of non-profits in fostering purpose-driven entrepreneurship for economic development. Panelists, including Flora Uwadiegwu, Co-Founder of Wetech, Kaosi Anyanwu, Founder of StemBridge, and Nsikan Ubi, CEO of NUBI Consulting, stressed the need for NGOs to be purpose-driven.

The ‘Scaling Up: Growth Strategies for Female-Led Tech Startups’ panel provided insights from industry leaders, including Fade Ogunro, CEO of Bookings Africa, Nela Duke-Ekpenyong, Partner at Ingressive Capital, Kate Victory-Edema, Growth Marketer at Founders Factory Africa, and Uju Uzo-Ojinnaka, CEO of Traders of Africa (TOFA).

The ‘Decoding the Art of VC Funding’ session, featuring Nissi Madu, Managing Partner at CcHUB, Tosin Faniro-Dada, Partner at Breega, Dolapo Morgan, Investor at Ventures Platform Fund, and Miishe Addy, Co-founder & CEO of Jetstream Africa Limited, explored successful funding strategies.

A highlight was the Pitch-Her session, where Morayo Ojikutu, founder & CEO of Flow, secured N1.5 million in funding. Ojikutu, along with other founders who pitched, gained access to various perks, including discounted workspace vouchers and networking opportunities within the Wetech ecosystem.

WeTech’s initiatives aim to not only increase the presence of women in the tech industry but also provide them with the resources and support needed for successful careers and entrepreneurship in the rapidly evolving tech landscape.