Employment and Income Outcomes of Technology Skills Training among Girls and Women in Africa: A Case of Tech4Dev Women Techsters Fellowship Program

Authors

Keywords:

Development Impact, Employment, Gender, Income, Technology skill-up

Abstract

Youth unemployment has become a prominent feature of African economies. This phenomenon runs in the background of a growing demand for digital/technology skills on the continent; there is an inadequate pool of tech talent to match the new jobs created in which women are increasingly been underrepresented. This study assesses the impact of recent efforts by an emerging organization, Tech4Dev, who seek to bridge the digital skills divide, particularly among underserved groups in Africa.

Author Biographies

Joel Ogunsola, Technology for Social Change and Development Initiative

Joel Ogunsola is the founder and director of development Technology for Social Change and Development Initiative (Tech4Dev), a non-profit social enterprise that creates access to decent work and entrepreneurship opportunities for young underserved populations through digital skills empowerment and advocacy. He also founded and leads other several impact-oriented initiatives like Emerging Communities Africa, a non-profit focused on catalyzing technology ecosystems in rural and suburban communities across Africa and; GloEpid, a health non-profit focused on helping to prevent the world’s next epidemic. A member of the Forbes Technology Council, an Advisory Board Member of the Nigerian Youth Investment Fund and a member of the KTN Global Alliance African Advisory Group, Joel is passionate about democratizing opportunities for young underserved populations, the convergence of innovation and sustainable development, social entrepreneurship, arts, and an ardent golfer. 

Oluwafemi Awopegba, Technology for Social Change and Development Initiative

Oluwafemi is a prolific scholar in development economics and technology skills research. He holds a Masters (MSc) in Development Economics in SOAS, University of London, 2015. He carries vast experience in public policy research based on his work at the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economics Research where he built 4 Macroeconometric models for the Nigerian Economy, while also serving on the modelling committee for the Nigerian Development plan 2020 to 2025 to 2050. Currently, Oluwafemi is the Research & Policy manager at Tech4Dev. Under 6 months, he successfully built a standard process for Monitoring & Evaluation at the organization, producing timely learnings for organizational growth. 

Oluwatosin Mayor-Olabiyitan, Technology for Social Change and Development Initiative

Oluwatosin Mayor-Olabiyitan is a Research and Policy Associate at Tech4dev and a Graduate Degree Alumna of the Department of Health promotion and Education, Faculty of Public Health, University of Ibadan Nigeria. 

Oladiwura Oladepo, Technology for Social Change and Development Initiative

Oladiwura Oladepo is the Executive Director at Technology for Social Change and Development Initiative (Tech4Dev). She is an avid advocate of women’s participation in technology and a strong proponent of using digital skills to create financial freedom. She is a member of the Injini Think Tank Committee and Forbes Non-Profit Council, a Judge on Project Leap of SolveMIT and a member of the Executive Board of the Lagos Business School Alumni Association. 

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Published

2023-08-09

How to Cite

Ogunsola, J., Awopegba, O., Mayor-Olabiyitan, O., & Oladepo, O. (2023). Employment and Income Outcomes of Technology Skills Training among Girls and Women in Africa: A Case of Tech4Dev Women Techsters Fellowship Program. Social Innovations Journal, 19. Retrieved from https://socialinnovationsjournal.com/index.php/sij/article/view/3844

Issue

Vol. 19 (2023): Learning from Ecosystems: Gaining Insights Into Equitable and Inclusive Societies

Section

Local Ecosystems Driving Social Impact

Categories

License

Copyright (c) 2023 Joel Ogunsola, Oluwafemi Awopegba, Oluwatosin Mayor-Olabiyitan, Oladiwura Oladepo (Author)

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