As International Women’s Day (IWD – March 8) fast approaches, it is a time to reflect on the strides that society has made to make the world more inclusive of women. Indeed, many industries across Africa have welcomed women into their ranks, but technology seems to be left behind.
While many women worldwide are finding their place in tech, Africa still has yet to embrace this fully.
For example, African women founders receive less than 7% of venture capital funding. Another study done by Africa’s The Big Deal showed that women-led start-ups across the continent managed to raise $188m in 2022, which represents about 4% of the total revenue collected by VC firms, as compare to men-led ventures, which raised $ 4.6 bn.
While one could argue that this could be down to women-led startups being fewer compared to men, it still is a representation of the problem that women are still not stable enough to form start-ups or are still looked down upon in leadership positions simply due to the fact that they are women.
Either way, this is not a good look for Africa, especially looking at how other continents have made strides in increasing female representation in the tech world.
Celebration of Women doing Great
This is why then, organizations such as Afridigest are highlighting 24 women who have bucked the trend and managed to raise more money for their startups. These 24 women are either founders or CEOs and all together, have raise more than $ 3M in equity for Africa-focused startups. Their stories should not only let you in on what it takes to become a female leader in tech, but they should also inspire other women to take the initiative.
To read about these high-achieving women when the article comes out on IWD, check out Afridigest and subscribe HERE for more opportunities.