TechLoy’s Top Women in Web and Tech Entrepreneurship

Florence Seriki at TEDGlobal 2007

In the spirit of the International Women’s Day celebration, we present remarkable and influential Nigerian women in web and tech entrepreneurship.

These women have over the last year or so demonstrated remarkable boldness, brains and beauty in their entrepreneurial endeavours.

As we mark the 2011 International Women’s Day, let’s celebrate these women as they are inspiring a new generation of women in tech entrepreneurship in Nigeria.

The theme of the 2011 International Women’s Day is:

Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women

If you know any other inspiring and influential woman in tech that should be on this list, please don’t hesitate to add them in your comments:)

Without much ado, here’s TechLoy’s list of Influential Women in Web/Tech Entrepreneurship.

1. Florence Seriki

Florence Seriki is the MD/CEO of Omatek Ventures Plc. Mrs. Seriki is a notable Entrepreneur and Industrialist.

She is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the first Completely knocked down Computer Factories in Nigeria and Ghana.

She is a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers, Nigerian Computers Society (NCS) and the Institute of Directors. She holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) and an MBA from the Lagos Business School.

2. Nkemdilim Uwaje

Nkem Uwaje is the Director of Future Software Resources Nigeria Ltd. She attained a BSc. Hons in Bioinformatics at the Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU), as well as the Technical University of Munich (TUM) Germany.

She has worked on various research projects at the Max Planck Institute for Psychiatric Research in the department for Statistical Genetics and Proteomics, as well as for the Pharmaceutical Company Affectis Pharmaceuticals AG, Germany.

These research projects encompass the development of software solutions for complex biological as well as chemical calculations and simulations, database design and administration as well as statistical analysis.

After re-locating to Nigeria in 2005 Miss Uwaje was involved in various research projects, such as the Wazobia Linux initiative, the e-Government Interoperability Framework, as well as the deployment of e-commerce and e-portal solutions.

In early 2008, she took up her position as a Director of Future Software Resources Nigeria Ltd. and re-branded the company, thus changing its focus from stand-alone solutions to web-based educational, enterprise and business solutions.

3. Ore Somolu

Oreoluwa Somolu is Executive Director of the Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre (W.TEC).

Oreoluwa worked for several years in the United States at an educational non-for-profit organisation on a number of projects, which explored the interplay between gender and technology and which sought to attract more girls and women to study and work in science and technology-related fields.

She has a Bachelors degree in Economics from Essex University, U.K. and a Masters degree in Analysis, Design and Management of Information Systems from the London School of Economics & Political Science.

Her research interests are the applications of technology in improving lifelong learning and also to raise the economic and social conditions of people (especially women and children) in the developing world.

4. Uche Eze

Uche Eze is a media entrepreneur and owner of the popular web property, BellaNaija.com. Uche aspires to make the site Africa’s Number 1 fashion, music, style, movie, TV and beauty website.

Uche graduated from the Richard Ivy School of Business, University of Western Ontario, Canada.

She relocated back to Nigeria, established Bainstone, the parent company of BellaNaija.com, and in July 2009, quit her full-time job to focus her energies on building BellaNaija.com.

5. Titi Akinsanmi

Titi Akinsanmi is currently working as an independent Corporate Citizenship and Communications Consultant for a global consultancy headquartered in the UK as well as an independent researcher.

She has consulted for a range of international institutions including the IICD, UN-GAID and UNECA. Her area of interest and growing expertise is in policy research and development on ICTs, education, Virtual Organizations, Innovation and entrepreneurship as it speaks to empowering the members of a society in an equitable way in developing nations.

An avid public speaker, Ms. Akinsanmi is currently serving on nomination of the UN Secretary General, on the Internet Governance Forum Advisory Group, and as High-Level adviser of the United Nations Global Alliance for ICT for Development amongst other roles.

She has served since 2005 and still serves as a jury member for the Stockholm Challenge, the World Summit Awards and the World Summit Youth Awards. She is a graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University Ile Ife, Nigeria and currently a Masters of Management student at the University of the Witwatersrand.

6. Nnenna Nwakanma

Nnenna Nwakanma holds a triple Bachelors, in the Social Sciences, History and English and a Masters degree in International Relations and Law.

She has done large-scale work within International development organizations and institutions in Africa on Information, Documentation and International Relations. Among them, The Home Health Education Service, The Helen Keller Foundation and The African Development Bank.

Co-founder of different pan-African organizations: The Free Software and Open Source Foundation for Africa (FOSSFA), The Africa Network of Information Society Actors (ANISA), and the Africa Civil Society for the Information Society (ACSIS).

One of the major Civil Society Actors in the World Summit on the Information Society, she represents the African Civil Society on the Digital Solidarity Fund, and advises on the Africa Information Society Initiative.

She is also Council Chair of the Free Software and Open Source Foundation for Africa, and also runs her own Platform of Development Consultants – nnenna.org

7. Uduak Oduok

Uduak Oduok is the President & CEO of Ladybrille Media Group, Inc., a dynamic multi-media company providing local and global niche market coverage to highly relevant hyper-targeted audience in fashion, film, music and the arts.

Recognized as a brilliant visionary, especially on Africa’s emerging global fashion and entertainment markets, Uduak Oduok’s experience of over 17years runs deep and diverse encompassing the disciplines of law, media, publishing, fashion, modeling, music, branding and public relations.

The founder of Ladybrille Media Group, Inc. whose insight and analysis is regularly sought, Uduak is also an attorney, fashion model and journalist. She is often quoted and has authored numerous published articles in national and international magazines and newspapers.

Uduak’s passion for entrepreneurship has resulted in years of consulting experience and conducting seminars on entrepreneur topics with many small and medium size businesses. She is also often invited to speak to numerous organizations including SXSW, Jack & Jill of America, Inc., Nollywood Foundation Inc., San Joaquin County Honor Farm Jail Program, San Francisco Fashion Week, and Delta College. Uduak has also been a radio legal commentator on New York’s 99.5FM WBAI and 107.5FM WBLS.

She also authors her fashion and entertainment law blog which is fast gaining notoriety among industry circles.

8. Nmachi Jidenma

Nmachi Jidenma is the Founder/Publisher of CP-Africa.com, a Pan-African website that features progressive African ideas, positive trends and inspiring entrepreneurs.

She is currently studying as a graduate student of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University.

Prior to Graduate school, she did agribusiness research focusing on African countries for a D.C. based NGO, TechnoServe and performed independent research as an undergraduate student on African Capital Markets.

Final Thoughts

To commemorate the 100th International Women’s Day, ITU is organizing a High-level Panel Debate around the theme of female participation in the information and communication technology industry.

This High-level Panel Debate will look at how IT is taught in schools and universities, how girls perceive careers in technology – and what is informing their life choices.

While we expect to see more of such debates in the coming months, we hope that they’ll help identify the cultural and economic barriers and how we might encourage more girls and women into the technology field in Nigeria.

Do you know any other inspiring and influential woman in tech that should be on this list, please don’t hesitate to add them in your comments:)

Photo Credit: Andrew Heavens: MeskelSquare.com, TEDGlobal 2007

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