Driven by a goal to improve diversity in the technology industry while revolutionising the fintech ecosystem in Africa and beyond, the Africa Fintech Foundry and Access Bank’s ‘W’ Initiative have partnered to host a fireside chat for ‘Women in Tech’ June 11, 2021. Themed ‘Women in Tech: Driving Diversity in the African Tech Industry’, the event is aimed at curbing the decline in female participation in tech spaces and championing innovative solutions to women playing significant roles in the envisaged digital-led future.  

Speaking on the upcoming event, Daniel Awe, Head of the African Fintech Foundry, said, “The African Fintech Foundry has always been committed to leading disruptions in the fintech ecosystem by leveraging digital transformations across board. As a result, championing a cause that focuses on inclusion and diversity in the technology industry is, for us, a necessity.” 

“The current trajectory of the technology industry shows that a non-proactive approach to gender diversity will lead to a reduction in the number of women involved in the tech space ten years from now. This is why African Fintech Foundry has decided to host ‘Women in Tech’ to encourage more female participation in this sector,” he continued.    Emphasising the need for diversity and female inclusion in tech, Ayona Trimnell, the Group Head/Coordinator, “W” Initiative at Access Bank, said, “Gender diversity and inclusion has improved in many industries but tech is still lagging behind in this regard. Considering the crucial role technological innovation will play in most sectors of the economy, the prolonged underrepresentation of women in tech will present a major challenge to the economy if left unaddressed. Hence, partnering with the African Fintech Foundry to increase the participation of women in the technology industry is timely and we are excited about the prospects this event presents.”    

This virtual event is open to businesswomen, women-owned tech startups, tech CEOs, students, tech enthusiasts, venture capitalists, bankers, etc. that are redefining the technology industry as we know it. The lineup of  speakers include; Teju Ajani, County Lead, Apple Inc; Ire Aderokun, Co-founder, COO and VP Engineering of BuyCoin; Eniola Edun, Head Engineer, Awarri; Ola Brown, Founder, Flying Doctors Healthcare Investment Company; Tosin Faniro-Dada, CEO, Endeavor; Eloho Omame, Founder, FirstCheck; Fade Ogunro, CEO, Bookings Africa; Simileoluwa Afolabi-Jumbo, Founder, SQL Babe; Professor Olayinka, David-West, LBS Academics Director; Audrey Muthopi, CEO, Systemic Logic; and Fara Ashiru Jituboh, Co-founder and CTO, Okra.