On 17th November 2021, the Nigerian tech space on Twitter experienced a mini MeToo moment. This happened when Chizom Echehieuka, a full stack developer and founder of Code Hub Africa, was outed by leading tech lawyer Moe Odele for grooming younger women and demanding sex in exchange for job opportunities in the tech space.
That however was not the first time inappropriate conduct was recorded on tech twitter.
A few days to the call out of Chizom Echehieuka, another man was criticized by women for a tweet where he said he told a woman who asked him to coach her in tech skills, “What’s in it for me?”.
In both instances, one of the resources that women were referred to was She Code Africa. Founded by software developer Ada Nduka Oyom, She Code Africa is a community that offers free trainings and networking to mostly younger African women.
They often give laptops to women and through it, 10000 women across 20+ African countries have been impacted with STEM skills through mentorship with already established women in tech.
In an interview granted to Document Women, Ms. Nduka Oyom said that her inspiration starting She Code Africa came not only due to her passion to see more women in tech, but also due to the difficulties she faced trying to transition as a Microbiology degree holder, into a tech career.
On the importance of communities like She Code Africa for African women especially, she said: “Even in communities where there are women, it’s often women of other races and as a Black or African woman in tech, it can be difficult to thrive in an ecosystem like that. So, communities help, especially for African women. It creates that sense of togetherness, a much-needed platform where you meet women like you, who can relate to most of the things you experience.”
Asides She Code Africa, one woman stands out for how she uses her platform to financially empower women in tech.
Her name is Ire Aderinokun and she is a front end developer and notably known for designing the Feminist Coalition logo which was used during the ENDSARS protests against police brutality.
Each year, Ms. Aderinokun sponsors approximately ten Nigerian women with Udacity scholarships in order to enable them to get nanodegrees in tech skills.
Majority of these women who benefit from her Udacity scholarship are often gotten from social apps like Twitter.
As of September 2022, she was seeking more investors to enable her to sponsor more women.
The use of social media to enable Nigerian women in tech to access opportunities is not limited to Ms. Aderinokun or the She Code Africa team.
Ugonna Thelma O (@frau_ug), a Berlin based Nigerian software engineer and illustrator, is known for how she monthly sponsors men and women in tech who need financial help with online courses.
In addition to these, she was also a key voice in the #ENDSARS protests and has months where she solely sponsors women.
When asked on the importance of older women mentoring younger women in tech and the relevance of women only spaces in tech, Ms. Ugonna had this to say: “It’s very challenging for women to succeed in Tech due to it still being a male-dominated industry. For this reason, younger women looking to enter this field would benefit greatly from having experienced women who can guide them and help them navigate the challenges they would encounter, making them understand that success as a woman in Tech is possible despite the hurdles.”
She went on to say: “With more female mentors, we would have more women encouraged to enter Tech, and we hope that in the near future, we will have gender balance in the workplace.”
Asides groups like She Code Africa, it is often important for African women especially to form friendships with other women when found in tech spaces that are not primarily centred on women.
This is very evident in the case of Deborah Dzifa Makafui, an Accra based developer who says she got most of her training from AltSchoolAfrica.
She told me, “AltSchoolAfrica is majorly male but I’m always going to be grateful to it for providing me with the space to meet and connect with female friends that have proven incredibly helpful in my tech journey as a newbie”.
She Code Africa and women like Ire Aderinokun are evidence that it is indeed possible for women to emerge into the tech space primarily through support from other women.
That said, it is important to note that as needed as women only spaces are for African women in tech, if women emerging into the tech industry don’t feel safe enough due to sexual predators, it shall defeat the purpose of any skills learnt and even make them leave the tech industry.
Angel Nduka-Nwosu is a writer, journalist and editor. She moonlights occasionally as a podcaster on As Angel Was Sayin’. Catch her on all socials @asangelwassayin.