WIT Nigeria launches Makeathon to upskill women in Nigeria

As part of its efforts to encourage technology adoption and digitalization among women, Women in Tech (WIT), a global advocacy group has intensified its commitment to equipping women with exceptional, global-standard technological skills with the launch of the VBank Women in Tech Nigeria Makeathon.

With its inaugural advancement program to upskill girls and women into Nigeria’s tech ecosystem, WIT aims to empower 5 million women in the technology space by 2030, this is also expected to bridge the economic gender gap in the country. This was disclosed at the WIT digital conference themed ‘Digitalizing Gender Equality for Brighter Economies’ which was held recently in Lagos.

With this initiative, 1000 females spread across rural and urban settlements in Nigeria will be empowered over a period of four months with varying degrees of digital, deep tech, and soft skills such as Product Design, Product Management, Software development, Data Science, and Digital Marketing required within the technology ecosystem.

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Speaking during the launch, Solape Akinpelu, Country Manager, WIT Nigeria, and CEO, HerVest, a women-focused and inclusive fintech platform said that the commencement of its operations in Nigeria signals the dawn of a new era for women players in the tech space.

“With this launch, the Makeathon has kicked-off across rural and urban communities in Nigeria, providing an intensive and global standard learning experience for girls and women who desire to build a rewarding career in the tech space to design, build products, and solutions that will help solve global issues,” she said.

Akinpelu added that there is a large and waiting gap to be filled in the tech ecosystem globally and urged businesses, individuals, and communities to embrace the fast adoption of technology.

“Without women in tech, then there is no equity, it is a global problem that requires a global solution and what we are launching today is to be able to empower over 5 million women by 2030 and change the world in a very short time” Ayumi Moore, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, WIT Global, said.