Women in Tech

Oyindamola Johnson, born in Lagos, Nigeria, is a multi-talented human. She’s a poet, singer, actress, dancer – but first and foremost a technology lawyer. As part of the Legal, Compliance and Risk team at ALX, Oyin creates legal frameworks that protect the company’s clients, ensures the company stays aligned with the law, and allows the company to thrive. She firmly believes in the potential of women, and their right to be represented in the tech industry.

Kenya-born Gladys Mbogo is a MarTech Support Specialist at ALX with experience in the information technology and services industry. Her foundations in marketing, customer service and fintech gave her the necessary skills and customer-centric mindset needed to work in marketing automation and tech support at ALX and The ROOM. To succeed in tech, Gladys believes the secret lies in developing key attributes such as perseverance, confidence, and a passion for life-long learning. 

Rwanda-born Alexandra Mizero is an ALX Software Engineering learner currently working as an Administrative Assistant. After completing high school, she was looking for avenues to grow and challenge herself, and the ALX SE programme provided her with the perfect opportunity to do that. She is conscious of the gender stereotypes placed on women – especially when it comes to having a career in the tech industry – and is doing her best to push past them. Today, Alexandra is nearing the end of the ALX SE programme, and she continues to challenge herself to #DoHardThings. Here, we find out more about her journey. 

Not everyone can say they were born for the world of tech, but Natalija Puzanskaja can. She was born in Lithuania to two software engineers, and was inspired by them to choose a career path in tech. Professionally, Natalija is a statistician, but has a multi-disciplinary background in software development, database design and business analytics and over a decade of experience in the tech industry. She works as a Senior Data Engineer at ALX & The ROOM, and has been described as a “data whisperer” who approaches her work creatively to arrive at fresh, break-through solutions.

Jahira Martins is the Director of Sales and Marketing Automation at ALX and The ROOM. She started her career in the United States helping technology companies prepare for, and scale in public markets through sales and marketing automation – and hasn’t left since. Her passion for developing long-lasting solutions led her to gain over a decade’s experience in the field, working with reputable companies such as JPMorgan Chase & Co., MongoDB and Datadog. She is a big believer in the power of women, and believes that no matter the field a woman enters, it thrives exponentially. Here, we find out more about her journey and vision as a woman and for women in tech, respectively.

Lucy Njeri Maina is an ALX Software Engineering learner and undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelors’ degree in Medicine at the University of Nairobi. Her first five years in medical school exposed her to various problems in the healthcare sector and inspired her to look to technology to address them. Unfortunately, when she began her tech learning journey, Lucy had a hard time finding female role models she could reach out to for support. To tackle this issue, she decided to become one herself, using her platform to help others facing similar challenges. In this spotlight interview, Lucy shares key learnings from her journey, offering valuable insights into how to overcome barriers commonly encountered by young women in tech and how to succeed in the ALX Software Engineering programme.

Kibirt Bayou is an ALX graduate from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with an 8-year background in Civil Engineering. Her journey as the mother of an infant who made a daring career change into Software Engineering was acknowledged by Fred Swaniker as the definition of ‘doing hard things’.

Kibirt works at iCog Labs – the first private AI and Robotics Research and Development Company in East Africa – and plans to pursue entrepreneurial projects in machine learning, artificial intelligence and mobile development in order to develop her country. Here, she shares her journey and the vision she has for women looking to pursue a career in tech.  

In December 2022, ALX challenged thousands of learners in its Software Engineering programme to create visual images of their experience in the programme using generative AI tools. Mayen Kalu’s winning image – “Mom Who Codes: The Untold Story” – depicted her inspiring experience as a wife, mother, university lecturer, and PhD candidate, going through the rigorous Software Engineering programme. Mayen and other #ALXChallenge2022 winners got the opportunity to meet the ALX leadership and team at a staff retreat in Kigali. She talks to us about her life as a mom who codes, artificial intelligence, and doing hard things. 

Celebrated for having the most inspiring conversation in 2021 with ALI Founder Fred Swaniker, ALX Software Engineering graduate Firdaus Salim is a rising force to be reckoned with. Despite entering the world of tech with no prior experience, her tenacity and passion for learning have opened doors for a promising future. Now, as a blogger, Technical Writer and Technical Mentor with ALX’s Software Engineering team, she offers training and support to others on their own tech learning journeys. 

Vivian Nwakah is the founder of Medsaf, an end-to-end pharmaceutical technology platform using software, blockchain, ‘quality control as a service’, embedded finance, data analytics and logistics to improve access, affordability, and quality of medications in emerging markets. She is an award-winning serial entrepreneur and strategist, renowned for her innovations around the healthtech, pharmaceutical and energy space. We caught up with Vivian to hear her thoughts on how women can succeed in tech and what it takes to achieve work-life balance as an entrepreneur, discovering the incident that propelled her to establish Medsaf and become a trailblazing tech entrepreneur.

In honour of International Women’s Day 2023, we’re shining a spotlight on the amazing women of the ALX community – our learners, graduates, mentors, and the women working magic behind the scenes at ALX. While we continue to actively #EmbraceEquity, here’s a look at our top 20 Most Inspiring Women who are doing hard things and transforming the global tech landscape.

An influential global figure at the forefront of one of Africa’s leading technological powers, Paula Ingabire has always been passionate about STEM. Her love for the sciences at a young age grew into a keen interest in technology, leading her to study Computer Engineering and IT before embarking on a Master’s at MIT. Named in 2019 by Apolitical among the Top 20 of the World’s 100 most influential people in digital government, Paula’s meteoric rise saw her take on the role of Minister of ICT and Innovation in Rwanda at the age of 36. In an exclusive interview with Caryn Thandi Petersen, head of Content & PR at ALX, Minister Paula Ingabire opens up about her journey to becoming a leading woman in technology and innovation, and how she’s spearheading a movement to bridge the digital gender divide. 

Lise Hagen is a PhD candidate, management research consultant and the Founder and  Director of Herding Cats Innovarium, a technology insight and innovation advisory firm in South Africa. She has over 20 years’ experience applying socio-political, economic, and ICT mega trend insights to business problems. As part of our spotlight series on the faces behind ALX, we spoke with Lise – who applies her vast skill set to the Global Brand team as a project consultant – to find out about her learning journey and unique perspective on the world of tech, discovering nuggets of wisdom for women looking to pursue a career in the industry.

Naadiya Moosajee is a serial social entrepreneur by passion, a civil engineer by training, and is co-founder and CEO at WomEng (Women in Engineering), an international non-profit developing the next generation of female engineers in Africa. She is also the co-founder of WomHub, an innovative incubator for female founders in STEM. We spoke with this ROOM member, World Economic Forum Global Shaper and one of Forbes Magazine’s “Top Twenty Young Power Women in Africa '' about how she’s shifting the landscape for female engineers and entrepreneurs in STEM.

For many years, tech was perceived as a field for men, leaving little room for women to break into and grow in the field. However, African tech trailblazers like Mary Mwangi, Naadiya Moosajee and Miishe Addy are founders of thriving tech companies debunking this long-standing myth and proving that women can do it too — and just as well! To engage our ALX community and hear your thoughts on this topic, we ran a poll on Instagram. Drawing on insights and advice shared by girls and women in tech across the African continent, here are our Top 10 Do’s and Don’ts women can follow to conquer the African tech ecosystem.

Charity Wanjiku is a celebrated Kenyan entrepreneur and one of the World’s Top 50 Women in Tech, as recognised by Forbes and the World Economic Forum. She is the co-founder of Strauss Energy, the solar company that’s powering rural Kenya through reliable and affordable green energy, and her work extends to the architecture and construction industries too. We had the honour of speaking to Charity at the 2022 Doha Forum, where she shared some of the hurdles and lessons from her remarkable journey in STEM and her passion for empowering girls and women in the industry, highlighting the critical importance of gaining tech knowledge and skills to survive and thrive in today’s digital age.

Loise Okoro is an agritech degree holder turned customer support specialist. Her career began in the nonprofit sector and grew to include roles in sales, tech assistance and customer support, both in her home country of Nigeria and abroad in the United States. She is currently taking ALX’s Data Analysis programme – her second ALX programme so far – and is a Fellow in The ROOM‘s talent community, working to pay it forward by creating her own platform to equip and empower other aspiring data-driven administrators.

Joy Otieno is a Programme & Operations Specialist at The ROOM and a young leader who graduated from ALX. She shares how she discovered her ikigai — her “reason for being” — and how this set her on the right track to going after her dreams and ambitions.

A graduate of the inaugural class at ALX, Sharon Murage is focused on empowering other young women through her work. As a young leader starting out her career, Sharon shares with us some of the challenges and triumphs of her journey and how she aims to take her mission forward.

A young leader from Kenya, Millicent is a passionate dreamer and an ambitious doer. Currently working at Proto Energy, she believes that young people have the power to make the world a better place — if they’re willing to step up to the challenge with integrity and tenacity. As a graduate of ALX, she credits the programme with unlocking her potential and shifting her mindset to see problems as opportunities.

As a trailblazing graduate of ALX, Elizabeth Okullow has committed her life to one mission: creating food sustainability in Africa. It may be a mammoth task, but this ambitious microbiologist and agritech entrepreneur has already founded two businesses utilising hydroponic technology to promote sustainable farming. At the age of 25, she’s just getting started.