Let’s talk about two remarkable women, Francisca Chinonye and Favour Ugbodu, who are not just making waves in Nigeria’s tech ecosystem but also form a generation of women challenging the male-dominated “tech bro” culture and making it more inclusive.
Francisca, a Data Analyst, started her journey in tech right after university. She was drawn to the thrills of solving business problems and the satisfaction of seeing a business grow and profit from her solutions. “A close friend suggested that I consider data analysis since I was already doing it indirectly, and that’s how my journey into the tech space began,” Francisca said.
Favour, on the other hand, is a final year Chemical Engineering student at the University of Benin whose interest in technology solutions began during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020. “I was looking for something I could apply to my field of study as a chemical engineering student,” she said. “I did my research and saw that machine learning fit right into my course of study. Now, I’m into it and I’ve seen a lot of opportunities besides its application in chemical engineering.”
The Gender Gap in Tech
Now, you might be wondering why we are spotlighting the journey of these two women. It is because their stories highlight an important issue: if available data from the World Economic Forum are anything to go by, the Nigerian tech ecosystem remains dominated by men, with very few women able to participate.
According to a report published on February 2023 by the World Economic Forum, Nigeria ranks 139 out of 153 countries captured in its Global Gender Gap Report. “These figures simply paint the uneven picture that while men are actively shaping Nigeria’s technology ecosystem, women are largely passive users,” the World Economic Forum said in its report.
Additionally, only 22 per cent of females in Nigeria are recorded to be studying Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) related courses, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, further highlighting the gender disparity in Nigeria’s tech ecosystem.
But these two women, along with many other, are challenging this narrative and proving that the industry is not a field reserved only for men.
Recent initiatives on the internet such as NITDA’s 3 Million Technical Talent programme for both gender have provided us with hope that the industry has come alive to the importance of helping women settle in tech. Developed societies have shown how our tech ecosystem can be a frontier for innovation and development when it is without stereotypes, gender biases and participants are encouraged and supported with skills.
The Francisca Chinonye Journey
“There is a common stereotype that tech is a field reserved for men, and as a woman, I often have to prove that I belong here,” Francisca told the News Digest.
To overcome this challenge, Francisca has been actively participating in various events and communities related to women in tech, such as Women Tech Makers (a Google Developer Group) where she helps plan events for women in tech and she’s also the Private and Public Engagement Lead at Place Her.
According to Francisca, being a woman has influenced her experience and the way she approaches things. “A study released last year by researchers at the University of Cambridge surveyed tens of thousands of people worldwide. Like other studies, it indicated that women are much better than men at empathizing with others, regardless of any familial or cultural influences.
“This nature as a woman has helped me be a great mentor to my mentees. I act as a friend, guide, mother, adviser, and mentor to them all. This natural disposition has also helped me in coordinating and solving problems,” she explained.
Francisca Chinonye
Francisca said she would advise any woman seeking to enter the tech space to just “go for it now!”. Francisca, who previously worked at her mum’s shop selling wrappers before she got into tech, mentioned that events such as the Fourth Industrial Revolution (2000-2020) and the Fifth Industrial Revolution beginning 2020 have birthed novel, collaborative technologies crying out for women innate skills.
“There is a lot of free training available for women who want to pursue a career in the tech industry, thanks to some policies that support gender balance in the tech ecosystem,” she said.
“One such initiative I am working with is Place Her, where women can receive training in any tech stack of their choice.”
Francisca can be reached on LinkedIn:
The Favour Ugbodu Journey
One achievement that Favour is particularly proud of is becoming the Community Lead for Data Science Network in her school. Since the community’s inception, it had always been led by men. As the first female leader of the community in Uniben, Favour believes this act will inspire more females in her school to believe in their capabilities.
“There is a lot more feat to conquer but I am proud of the milestones I have achieved,” she said.
Favour told the News Digest she has faced numerous challenges in her journey, some of which are not peculiar to being a woman in the tech industry. Despite challenges such as discontinuing her learning due to laptop issues and dealing with imposter syndrome, she has found immense support from the community of women in tech, particularly platforms such as ShecodeAfrica and WomeninDataAfrica.
She explained: “Because of my name, I have been mistaken for a guy a lot of times. Also, I have been looked down on a few times as a woman in the field because people generally feel women aren’t that ‘smart’.”
Being a woman in the tech space has influenced Favour to always strive for more and create more opportunities for her fellow women. “My advice [to any woman] is that they can achieve anything they put their mind to.”
Favour Ugbodu
Favour when on to charge women just starting out in the industry to leverage on communities centred on growth in the tech space. “Having a community helped me so that is one major advice I would give,” she added.
While Favour hasn’t built any tech products yet, she has been involved in research related to her course of study, where machine learning algorithms were applied in the production of Xanthan gum from Pineapple waste.
Favour’s goal is to work in one of the Fortune 500 companies, solving real-world problems in the tech space. She also aims to bring as many people as possible into the tech space, with a focus on women.
Favour can be reached on LinkedIn:
