Africa is home to some of the world’s most influential women who are breaking boundaries in various industries. From technology to entrepreneurship, these women have been making waves and inspiring others to follow in their footsteps.
In this article, we’ll be highlighting seven of the most influential African women in tech you should know.
Odunayo Eweniyi (Nigeria)
Odunayo Eweniyi
Odunayo Eweniyi is a Nigerian business executive and activist. She is the Co-founder and Chief Operations Officer of PiggyVest, a fintech platform, and co-founder of Feminist Coalition, a group advocating for gender equality. Eweniyi has been recognized for her contributions to the technology industry, winning the Future Awards Africa Prize in Technology in 2018 and being named one of the 30 Quartz Africa Innovators in 2019. She was also featured on Forbes Africa’s 30 under 30 Technology list in 2019, and on Bloomberg and Time Next 100 in 2020 and 2021, respectively, for her work during the End SARS protests. In 2022, she won the Forbes Woman Africa Technology and Innovation Award.
Jihan Abass (Kenya)
Jihan Abass
Jihan Abass is a Kenyan entrepreneur and businesswoman who is the founder and CEO of Lami Insurance Technology, an insurance technology company based in Nairobi, Kenya, and Lami Direct Insurance, a digital vehicle insurance company. Abass founded Lami to increase Africa’s low insurance coverage to democratize and digitizes insurance products in Kenya and across Africa.
The company has created an API insurance service platform to digitize the entire process. In 2021, the startup raised $1.8m in seed capital.
Bunmi Olaniyan (Nigeria)
Bunmi Olaniyan
Bunmi Olaniyan is an accomplished operational leader with a proven track record of driving growth and success for tech companies. Her expertise in operations management, operation digital transformation, human resources, strategic planning, and team leadership has enabled her to make a significant impact on the organizations she has worked with.
As an operations manager in tech, Bunmi has achieved numerous key milestones that are a testament to her commitment to excellence. She has a track record of developing and implementing effective operational strategies that have resulted in significant revenue growth for tech companies, especially at Kudy, a FinTech.
Bunmi has been recognized as the winner of a Tech Leadership Award in 2021, which is a well-deserved recognition of her exceptional contributions to the tech ecosystem. She continues to be an outstanding professional and an inspiration to many in the tech industry.
Betelhem Dessie (Ethiopia)
Betelhem Dessie
Betelhem Dessie is a young entrepreneur and a pioneer in Ethiopia’s emerging tech scene. She developed an interest in computers at the age of 7 and started coding at 10. By her mid-teens, she had mastered the key aspects of computer science and robotics.
After being mentored by a government agency called Information Network Security Agency (INSA), she started doing software projects for various clients while teaching kids computing and robotics.
Dessie has been named the young pioneer in Ethiopia’s tech scene by CNN and BBC and was included in Quartz’s list of African innovators to watch in 2019.
Ivy Barley (Ghana)
Ivy Barley (Ghana)
Ivy Barley is a Ghanaian entrepreneur, program manager, and women in tech activist who co-founded Developers in Vogue, an organization that aims to bridge the gender gap in tech by training and mentoring young women in Africa to become world-class developers and technology leaders.
Barley has been recognized for her work in the tech industry. In 2017 and 2019, she was listed as one of the Top 50 Most Influential Young Ghanaians by Avance Media. In addition, GhanaWeb featured Barley in January 2022 as one of the three Ghanaian ‘Women in Tech’ making strides on the international corporate scene.
Barley is passionate about empowering African women and promoting gender equality in the tech industry. Her work has inspired many young women to pursue careers in technology and she continues to be a role model for women in tech across Africa.
These 5 women have made significant contributions to the African tech industry and have inspired many others to follow in their footsteps. Their achievements in various areas of technology have not only brought recognition to themselves and their countries but have also impacted the lives of millions of people across Africa.
Through their hard work and dedication, they have shattered stereotypes and proven that women can excel in technology. Their stories serve as an inspiration to young women across the continent who are aspiring to enter the tech industry and make their own mark. These women are a testament to the fact that with determination and perseverance, anything is possible.
