Looking to actively boost the number of women in tech in Nigeria as well as empower them, the French Tech Lagos community yesterday held a one-day conference tagged, ‘Empowering Women in Tech: A French-Nigerian Dialogue on Diversity, Leadership and Innovation.’
Held at the Alliance Française Centre in Lagos, in partnership with the Mission French Tech, the conference highlighted the pivotal role of women in leadership positions within the tech industry.
In his opening remarks, the consul general of France in Lagos, Laurent Favier, said this is a reflection of Mission French Tech’s long-standing commitment to gender parity and fostering inclusive innovation in the French and Nigerian tech ecosystems as well as strengthen Nigeria’s thriving tech sector. Of the almost five hundred tech startups in the country, less than 10 per cent are women owned.
Featuring prominent tech women leaders from both countries, they shared their journeys, the impact of diversity on innovation and practical strategies for advancing women’s leadership in tech.
Featuring two panel sessions, the first session, Investment as a catalyst for gender equality and inclusion in Tech, had on it, investment manager, Alitheia Capital, Kemi Olajide; COO, Bluebulb, Titi Savage; legal consultant, Veronique Dos Reis and Founding editor, BusinessDay Weekender, Lehle Balde. Moderated by the founder of alGROWithm, Bili Sule, the panelists spoke on how investments in women-owned and led startups fuel tech innovation, advance gender equality and inclusion in the sector. They urged investment funds and companies to reduce inequalities by creating opportunities for female entrepreneurs and women in leadership roles within tech.
Balde said most of the challenges women face in business is deeply rooted in gender equality and it will take 131 years to bridge the gender gap. Urging female-led startups to always stay investor ready, she said there is much more to the tech ecosystem than being an engineer and these other aspects can be marketed to bring in more women. Adding that representation is key, she said seeing more women flourishing in the industry will encourage others to get in as well. “Women aren’t getting seats at the table and great opportunities because they’re women so I won’t say bias is coming to play here. So far you own your business, ensure it remains investor ready and do the work,” she said.
Speaking, Savage pointed out that research has shown that the value women bring to the table is often relegated to the back even though it would be of value to the business.
The second panel, Women’s leadership in sustainable innovation: towards a social and environmental impact in Africa; had on it COO, Emerging Valley, Julie Lanckriet; COO, Koolbooks, Deborah Gael; Co-founder/CEO, Instollar, Chinwe Udo-Davis and founder, Spurt, Kristin Wilson. Moderated by Julia’s commercial director, Omolola Oladunjoye, they highlighted the role of women in sustainable innovation, particularly in the energy and tech sectors. Exploring how women leaders are using technology to tackle environmental and social challenges while promoting sustainable business models; Wilson pointed out that women business owners are often over-mentored and underfunded. She called for more funding for female-led businesses as they’re often out-funded 30:1 by their male counterparts.
Lanckriet stated that while access to finance is a global problem, she said it affects women more because most women don’t have access to collateral or lands due to religious or cultural norms.
Udo-Davis said cultural and religious barriers that hold women back must be addressed if more women are to embrace tech.
