African women

IWD 2023: There is no innovation without gender inclusion

By Editorial Mar 08, 2023

Image source: TechCabal | Design: Adesida Aderemi

In December last year, the United Nations Women selected the theme; DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality, for the 2023 International Women’s Day celebration. The theme is in line with the focus for the 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW-67), “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls”.

The theme DigitALL resonates with us at TechCabal. We believe that everyone is invited to discussions and decisions about Africa’s tech future and women are free to claim their place. 

To speak to these values of inclusion and diversity, we have curated comments from leading women in technology across Africa who want to see a more gender-inclusive world where women are accorded equal rights as their male counterparts.

TC: What makes you feel empowered?

AL: Knowing that I am responsible for my life (growth, well-being, health, happiness etc), that I have the power of choice and I can achieve whatever I purposely work towards….

TC: Why is it important to empower African women of all ages and backgrounds?

AL: Empowering Women in Africa is important to create the desired sustained economic growth of the continent. Healthy and educated women with equal access to opportunities have the potential to grow into strong, smart women who can not only take leadership roles in their countries but also support in bringing economic wealth to families and communities as they have the power to build businesses and support.

TC: What does a more gender-inclusive world look like to you?

AM: Happy International Women’s Day! In a more gender-inclusive world, being a woman does not count against you. It’s a world where people value and appreciate the female perspective and experiences and where women are treated with equal respect and dignity.  

We’d appreciate a world that values women and does not exclude them from opportunities based on social norms. It would be wonderful to live in a world where harmful social norms can be rewritten to allow more women to pursue the opportunities they desire without prejudice. Women make up half of the world’s population; how much more enriched would we all be if they were allowed to express themselves fully and environments were created for them to thrive in all spheres of society? 

TC: What motivates you to keep going during challenging business times?

AM: No matter what you are pursuing and building, especially if it’s consequential, challenges will come! Let’s learn to expect obstacles, as this puts us in the mindset to overcome them. What motivates me during difficult times is staying focused on the vision I want to achieve. 

At TLcom, we are building a world-class venture capital firm that supports entrepreneurs on the continent to serve African businesses and consumers. We are playing our role in ensuring that Africans are empowered to live life to the fullest. That keeps me centred. I also surround myself with mentors and advisors who help me grow through the journey.

TC: What makes you feel empowered?

EC: I have a soft spot for helping women and young girls advance in their chosen fields, especially in tech. When I see women win, it emboldens me.  

There are two women I love so much, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. I love how they have represented the African woman and contributed immensely to shaping the perspective about the African woman globally.

Seeing women succeed in their chosen fields reminds me of how possible it is to create a more gender-inclusive world, and that empowers me. It’s what fuels me to do what I do.  

I lead an amazing team at Wentors, where we provide mentorship for women in technology. And after every cohort when the feedback starts pouring in, I take a moment to take it all in. Seeing how women from across the world were impacted through our programs reaffirms why we started and that gives me power and a drive to go for more. 

TC: What motivates you to keep going during challenging business times?

FO: What keeps pushing me is the knowledge that there are endless possibilities and new grounds to break. Understanding that there are different seasons for everyone and if you see an opportunity where everyone sees a problem. I see the glass half-full and that perspective helps to keep going when it’s tough.

TC: What is your innovative vision for 2023?

FO: To keep building a one-stop shop for anyone who’s trying to be a tech marketer through my community. To create a global community of marketers and provide access to opportunities for newbies in the space. Road to 10,000 members.

TC: What motivates you to keep going during challenging business times?

GK: I’m privileged to have a community of advisors, mentors and mentees across diverse backgrounds, gender identities and experience levels. I turn to them to cheerlead, sense check and engage in thoughtful discussion when I’ve found myself in frustrating and difficult business times. I do all I can to create open and accessible networks like these for others from underrepresented backgrounds because they tend to seem out of reach for folks from marginalised backgrounds. 

TC: Why is it essential to empower women who work in technology and business?

GK: The intersection of technology and business is where a lot of societal shifts will stem from including financial inclusion, healthcare, climate crisis reversal, education and the future of work. Architects of our future should be representative of those who they are building for. It’s important that we not only empower women to participate, lead, and influence, but also folks from underrepresented backgrounds.

TC: How do you empower the women in your communities?

HM: The quote “empowered women empower women” is one that I endeavour to live by. I have learnt a lot thus far in my journey, one that has been driven by self-confidence and purpose. It’s time to pass it on. A natural place to start is through my work at Pezesha which offers me the platform to mentor other young team members I bring on board to work with us, other women entrepreneurs in my network and also connect with the ecosystem at the same time. I endeavour to share my learnings in these platforms to spur a generational effect that does better because I was here. 

TC: What does true change look like to you?

HM: Bridging the gender gap when it comes to access to affordable working capital that, in the end, drives financial stability and wealth creation. Without access to finance, women face difficulties in collecting and saving income, growing their businesses, and pulling their families out of poverty. As a result, women remain largely excluded from the formal economy.

TC: What does a more gender-inclusive world look like to you?

HD: A gender-inclusive tech ecosystem promotes women as capital allocators (investors) and value creators (founders). This means that solutions that cater to the diverse population across Africa would get the funding they need to grow and scale, unlocking new layers of economic growth and prosperity. 

TC: How do you empower the women in your communities?

HD: Since 2020 I have been quite a passionate gender-lens investor. Aside from personally writing cheques to women-founded startups, I’ve curated various women-founder-to-investor introductions to ensure women get the much-needed funding to scale. One of these included supporting a women-co-founded business to get into Y-Combinator! Outside of the VC space, I have been drawn to building a think tank for women in leadership. Over the years, I have hosted various events and conferences that unite women leaders across multiple industries. I have facilitated roundtables around pertinent issues such as the glass ceiling, unconscious bias, and more. To ensure the long-term impact of these initiatives, I am in the early stages of establishing a think tank that shares research and best practices that organisations can adopt to ensure more effective pathways for women to rise to senior leadership positions.

TC: Why is it important to empower African women of all ages and backgrounds?

JA: It is important for several reasons like Economic Development: Economic empowerment for women entails providing them with the tools and resources they need to become financially independent, which benefits not only them but also their families and their African communities.

Political Development: Political empowerment for women entails encouraging women to participate in politics, run for office, and advocate for policies that benefit women and girls.

Essentially, empowering African women of all ages and backgrounds is important for achieving sustainable development, and inclusive economic growth in Africa.

TC: Why is it essential to empower women who work in technology and business?

KEH: Empowering women in technology jobs is necessary because there is always room for diversity in this space; many don’t realise that this space needs creativity, which is hard to achieve with a limited and non-diverse team. We need women in various roles in the technology space, these women can be in leadership roles, investment in tech or product development; they will ensure (I hope) that women’s well-being and ‘product-gender’ fit are well established. 

TC: Why is it important to empower African women of all ages and backgrounds?

KEH: Our continent was overlooked for decades yet its potential is very much real and currently being realised. It is important now more than ever to show a strong front and continue to drive investment in this high-growth potential market, and this strong front can only happen when African women are part of the conversation. ESG is a driver of a lot of the investment coming into the continent, we should be aware of this and positively implement it when we come to raise funds for our Africa-focused funds or startups.

TC: What is your innovative vision for 2023?

NAE: Interesting question. My personal innovative vision for 2023 –  not sure if I should call it a vision or a goal – is to be more intentional about giving back to and supporting the technology ecosystem in Nigeria. I’m doing this in two ways – mentorship and investment. I am taking on more mentorship opportunities as it provides an avenue for me to share the practical lessons I am learning in real time with more female founders. A wise woman once said female founders need less mentorship and more cash/investments. So, I launched a special-purpose vehicle called TH Labs this year to help drive my investment activities.

TC: What makes you feel empowered?

NAE: A deep understanding that I am here to fulfil my purpose. One of my key purposes is understanding that I am in this world to effect change. Being a changemaker requires having a vision and a strong compulsion to realise that vision. Understanding this, I refuse to be held back by passiveness, barriers, or a fear of failure. This puts me in a position to relentlessly pursue every possible solution to achieve my vision. Living with this understanding every day is what makes me feel empowered.

TC: What makes you feel empowered?

SM: Choices. The simple liberty of being able to choose what I want for my life from the smallest decision about what I want to eat to where I want to go on holiday or live. Having as many choices as possible whether I choose to make the choice or abstain, it is still equally empowering

TC: What motivates you to keep going during challenging business times?

SM: The vision of a better future is so tangible to me that any present discomfort is so temporary it’s not worth thinking about.

TC: How do you empower the women in your communities? 

TS: By assuming they will be as good as men, and by understanding that creating healthy and happy children is a pretty tough job. 

TC: What does true change look like to you?

TS: A world where I walk into a meeting with a male colleague and people don’t automatically assume the colleague is the ultimate decision-maker. 

TC: What is one thing you want to change in your world today? 

TS: This list is very long; a requirement that for every child born people have to plant and nourish 2 trees would be a start.

  • Treasure Okure
    Content Lead, Founders Connect; Content Associate at Selar

Why is it important to empower women who work in technology and business?

I think the beautiful thing about technology is that the barrier of entry is quite low, and for women who are usually at a disadvantage due to socioeconomic realities, this means easier access to opportunities in these fields. Empowering women who work in technology and business is important because it creates more diversity and creativity in the workforce, which are important tools for innovation. Empowerment also boosts productivity which benefits society at large.

TC: What does “gender equality” mean to you?

WA: Gender equality to me generally is respecting people’s choices, free will, and abilities, irrespective of their gender. However, one must take into account the hindrances that women face that have held them back – and do what they can within their power to even that gap.

TC: How do you empower the women in your communities?

WA: 98% of Fashtracker vendors are women who use our services to export their goods. They are empowered financially, and in turn, are able to create more jobs in their communities — usually for other women.

TC: Why is it important to empower African women of all ages and backgrounds?

WAK: The statement “build a girl child, you build a nation” might sound cliche, yet it is true, especially in Africa. For instance, by dominating informal trades (intra or inter-borders), which contribute between 20% and 75% of total employment across the continent, women are a major contributor to job creation in Africa. Providing tailored empowerment that suits the needs of women across all backgrounds is crucial for achieving Africa’s yearning for growth and development. Doing so will help us take a step beyond demands for increasing women’s voices in decision-making and managerial roles to ensure that every woman, irrespective of their background or career path, is well-equipped to take their rightful place in society.

  • Yvonne Ogwulu
    Product Designer/Founder, Tech Girl Magic Initiative

TC: What does “gender equality” mean to you?

YO: Gender equality means equal opportunities for both women and men. In simple terms, if a man who is deemed qualified deserves to get a position in any industry, a woman who is also deemed competent deserves to get it as well. It’s okay to have reservations but it should never be because ‘she is a woman’ and her womanhood limits her. 

I was born a woman, and I love being a woman. It is beyond my control that I get to experience natural womanhood experiences like menstruation, cramps, pregnancy and every other thing that comes with being a woman, but that should not be the reason I am considered less capable or incapacitated to function in a position that I can very much function in. That is not why I should be paid less. This is a sensitive issue and the balance is to never blur the lines. 

Women deserve equal access to education, equal access to healthcare, equal access to funding, equal access to top career positions, equal access to government positions and so on.

TC: What does “gender equality” mean to you?

ZDK: To me, gender equality is simply equality between men and women. That their rights and responsibilities should not depend on whether they are born male or female. However, my vision of achieving gender equality is when we will stop talking about it because one should not even think about gender when making any decision.

TC: What does a more gender-inclusive world look like to you?

ZDK: A diverse and inclusive world goes beyond equity in gender representation. Building a gender-inclusive world doesn’t just mean hiring or giving more rights to women. I believe that a truly inclusive world ensures that every person, regardless of gender identity, feels supported and respected. For instance, an organization that is truly diverse and welcoming, where people feel comfortable being themselves, can hence be called “more inclusive”.  It’s the creativity, innovation, and richness of thought that create this inclusive environment.

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African women have consistently shown that they do not need handouts, rather they deserve equal opportunities across the board because they are as qualified as anyone else. So, even beyond International Women’s Day 2023, we should all fully #EmbraceEquity.

Editorial TechCabal Editorial Team

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