BeerTech Africa, the tech arm of International Breweries Plc, has offered women the opportunity to develop solutions to solve business problems through the Beerkathon initiative aimed at encouraging inclusion in the tech industry.
The two-week challenge has produced three winners who were awarded $3,000 in a ceremony in Lagos that had in attendance tech enthusiasts and other stakeholders in the Nigerian innovation and technology sector.
Michael Odutayo, people director for International Breweries Plc, said IBPLC recognises the importance of diversity and inclusivity in the tech industry.
“Beerkathon is dedicated to recognising the brilliant minds and innovative spirits of women in technology, and we are honoured to be able to provide a platform for them to showcase their skills. We believe that supporting and empowering women in technology is the right thing to do and makes good business sense. We recognize that our company’s success depends on the talent and diversity of our workforce,” he said.
Speaking about the tech initiative, Cesar Robles, director of BeerTech Africa, said that women are underrepresented in the tech industry, not just in Nigeria but across the world.
“This problem needs to be addressed, and we as a company must take responsibility for our part in making the tech industry a more inclusive place for women. We believe that everyone, regardless of gender, race, or background, deserves an equal opportunity to succeed in the tech industry. We are actively working to recruit and retain more women in our company and provide them with the resources they need to succeed,” Robles said.
The challenge ran for over two weeks during which participants attempted to solve business problems with a prototype before coming up with the actual solution. The teams then presented their ideas to a panel of judges who selected the winners after carefully reviewing their work.
They were allowed to develop solutions to solve unique business problems in stock, procurement, logistics, and supply chain among others.
Seven teams consisting of SheCodesAJ; Yellow-Box; Smart-Hats; Tech-Bots; Team Epic; Innovate Her, and Tech Titans participated and made it to the final stage of the competition.
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Team Epic clinched the top spot, a feat that earned them the grand price of $3,000. SheCodesAJ emerged as the second runner-up and was presented with a cheque for $1,000 while Tech-Bots was the first runner-up and went home with $2,000.
Omotola Ligali, a member of the grand prize-winning team said, tech has no value if it cannot provide localised solutions, adding that Beerkathon created the right environment for them to think out of the box and create customised solutions.”
Ogbu Uzoma, a member of the SheCodesAJ team said the participants were thrilled by the challenge, and the opportunity provided for them to showcase their skills.
Uzoma said the teamwork enabled them to develop collaborative skills and helped them in creating solutions that would solve problems within their environment and increase women’s participation in the tech space.
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