Here Are Two Women On The Forefront Of West Africa’s Tech Boom
Africa’s tech ecosystem has experienced tremendous growth in recent years, with 2021 seeing a record number of investments.
The year 2021 was a great one for startups globally and Africa in particular. The continent saw total venture funding exceed two and a half times what it was in 2020.
This figure amounted to an impressive $4.77 billion. As far as distribution is concerned, 30 African nations raised at least $100,000 in funding across the year.
The ‘Big Four’ countries, Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, and Kenya, received 81% of the investments. Five of the eight unicorns in Africa (Flutterwave, Andela, ChipperCash, Opay, and Wave) attained unicorn status in 2021.
Here, we meet two Nigerian women who are rising to new heights in the global tech industry and redefining it from the inside out.
Odunayo Eweniyi
Odunayo Eweniyi is making waves in Nigeria as a thriving tech startup specialist.
She is also known for advocating for the empowerment of girls and women and has helped to raise about $1.1 million in support of the #EndSARS movement—youth-led activism against police brutality in her country.
Eweniyi has also launched two women’s empowerment non-profits: Feminist Coalition and Wine & Whine Nigeria.
Eweniyi’s first job was as a social media manager for Somto Ifezue, the man with whom she would later co-founded PushCV. The company was their first big break, having raised sufficient venture funding.
“The idea behind PushCV was that as at 2009 there were at least 380 people for every job advertised in Nigeria. That meant sorting through hundreds of CVs.
Employers at the time had to look through the first 10 or 20 applications, conduct interviews, and move on, leaving most applications unattended.
At PushCV, they create a system where job applications are pre-screened, and the best 10 applicants are identified and referred to employers for interviews,” she told UN.
Damilola Odufuwa
As co-founder of the Feminist Coalition, Damilola Odufuwa champions equality for women in Nigerian society with a focus on education, financial freedom, and representation in public office.
These values play out in her role as the lead PR at Binance, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency companies.
Her journey? After completing her master’s in international finance and economic development at the University of Kent in England, Odufuwa went on to work in communications and media, first at Universal Music and MTV before becoming the editor-in-chief of pop culture site Konbini.
For her next role, she took up a position as a Lagos-based social producer for CNN Africa, where she honed her skills in communications. Around this time, Odufuwa also co-founded Wine & Whine, a safe space for Nigerian women to come together and share their stories of the challenges they faced in a heavily patriarchal society and how to combat them.
Today, Odufuwa works as the public relations lead in Africa for cryptocurrency exchange firm Binance, which feeds into her passion for achieving financial equality and freedom for African women.
Speaking to TheFolklore, she said: “I’m very passionate about cryptocurrency, communications, and women’s rights, and that permeates my entire life—from my career to my hobbies. I am currently the head of PR for Binance in Africa, and I also lead our NFT efforts. Binance is the world’s leading crypto exchange and blockchain ecosystem.
“I am passionate about financial equality and financial freedom, especially for women and marginalized communities, so I love working at the intersection of crypto, tech, comms, and women’s rights.”
