To actively boost the number of women in tech in Nigeria and empower them, experts have urged venture capital organisations and the government at all levels to create opportunities for them and reduce inequality in the industry.
The experts who spoke at the French Tech Lagos community yesterday tagged, ‘Empowering Women in Tech: A French-Nigerian Dialogue on Diversity, Leadership and Innovation,’ highlighted the pivotal role of women in leadership positions within the tech industry.
They urged investment funds and companies to reduce inequalities by creating opportunities for female entrepreneurs and women in leadership roles within tech.
Lehle Balde, founding editor of BusinessDay Weekender said most of the challenges women face in business are deeply rooted in gender equality and it will take several 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.
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“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,” she said at a panel session on ‘Investment as a Catalyst for Gender Equality and Inclusion in Tech.’
“So far you own your business, ensure it remains investor ready and do the work,” she said.
Titi Savage, COO, Bluebulb 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.
In the second panel discussion on ‘Women’s Leadership in SustainableInnovation: Towards a Social and Environmental Impact in Africa’ experts highlighted the role of women in sustainable innovation, particularly in the energy and tech sectors.
Kristin Wilson, founder of Spurt, 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.
Also, Julie Lanckriet, chief operating officer of Koolbooks noted that while access to finance is a global problem, saying it affects women more because most of them 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.
In his opening remarks , Laurent Favier, consul general of France in Lagos, said the event reflects Mission French Tech’s long-standing commitment to gender parity and fostering inclusive innovation in the French and Nigerian tech ecosystems as well as strengthening Nigeria’s thriving tech sector.
“Of the almost five hundred tech startups in the country, less than 10 percent are women-owned,” he said.
The event was held at the Alliance Française Centre in Lagos, in partnership with Mission French Tech.
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