Nigeria’s progress as a nation is perhaps best typified by the IT industry. The sector has grown to become a key component of the country’s economy, rising from less than 1% of GDP in 2001 to almost 10% today.
Nigeria is also Africa’s biggest technology market and accounts for 23% of internet users in the continent, with 122 million people online in December 2018.
The potential, then, to develop the country and turn into a global technology hub is clear for all to see. So how do we maximize this opportunity? A new report by the Center for Global Development (CDG) suggests that both the government and the private sector must take positive steps to increase the number of women in the sector. And we couldn’t agree more.
What are the barriers for women entering tech?
Some of the barriers constricting the numbers of women participating in the tech sector were highlighted in the Tek Experts 2019 white paper ‘Achieving Gender balance: Views from across the IT Industry’. We surveyed over 2,000 women working in IT across the globe and then analyzed issues that were raised in a roundtable discussion with some of the leading figures for diversity in Nigeria, including Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin founder of the Pearls Africa Foundation; Oreoluwa Lesi from the Women’s Technology Empowerment Center; and Ola Williams, Partner Technology Lead at Microsoft.
For example, more than half (51%) of the respondents felt IT’s perception as a male-dominated industry discourages women from applying for a job in the sector. To address this, more than three-quarters (80%) of the women surveyed called on employers to develop women-only recruitment programs and show them that they’re welcome in the industry.
As CDG’s report highlights, the Nigerian government is making tentative steps to bring about gender parity to the labor market as a whole. A draft bill pending in the National Assembly calls for the elimination of all forms of gender discrimination – in both education and employment.
The bill seeks to secure equality at all levels – something many of the women in our survey felt was lacking currently, with 21% of the respondents saying they’ve considered leaving the IT industry due to a lack of growth of opportunities.
If the bill is enacted, it could prove to be transformative for women in the tech sector. But, regardless of whether it’s passed or not, the onus is on employers to ensure they’re doing absolutely everything they can to drive more women into their organization. Not only is it the right thing to do, having a more diverse workforce has been shown to boost business success.
What are the business benefits of employing women?
There have been many surveys conducted that point to women being good for business.
We’ve reported on some of the most compelling pieces of research previously. Like the report by Credit Suisse which showed that, over a five-year period, companies with a higher representation of women in leadership positions outperformed their male-led counterparts in terms of share price and return on equity.
And the study by Sodexo, which found that organizations with 40 to 60% women in management performed better than those with lower percentages of women in areas including brand awareness, client retention, and financial performance.
In the IT industry, it can be a challenge in itself to find women who are qualified for a senior management role due to a lack of a tech education. In our survey, almost all (99%) of the women felt schools and further education institutions need to do more to encourage young women to pursue a career in IT.
However, when given the opportunity to grow their skillset, we’ve seen first-hand what women can do. Here at Tek Experts, the opportunities for women to progress and grow their career are plentiful.
That might have something to do with the fact that the company is led by a female CEO – Naama Saar – who is joined on the board by three other women, alongside two men. In Bloomberg’s latest Gender-Equality Index, companies led by a female CEO reported having more women in senior management positions than companies with a male CEO.
What does Tek Experts do to promote diversity in tech?
In addition to having a strong, female leadership team, Tek Experts Nigeria is working hard to address the gender disparity in tech.
One of proudest moments to date as a company was when ten of our female Software Engineers graduated from the Microsoft LEAP Engineering Acceleration Program (LEAP).
Selected as finalists from a hackathon hosted by Microsoft in June 2019, the women went on to receive four weeks of classroom training on Software Support Engineering before 12 weeks of hands-on training involving real-life scenarios at Tek Experts’ premises in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Provided with mentorship from both Tek Experts and Microsoft personnel, the cohort passed with flying colours. We’re looking forward to giving more women the opportunity to take part in the LEAP program – after all, diversity and inclusion should be a long-term commitment rather than a series of one-offs.
Elsewhere, we are partnering with female empowerment agencies like global NGO Dress for Success. By providing a support network, professional attire and the right development tools, they can help women to succeed and thrive in every part of their life and achieve economic independence – something we believe in strongly here at Tek Experts.
A career for the long term
We hope that our hard work in this area will prompt more female candidates to join us here at Tek Experts.
From fun, monthly team-building activities to regular reward and recognition programmes, there’s so much to learn about this global company, based in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Both male and female team members receive training in the most up-to-date technologies and are given the chance to gain professional certifications through the company’s partnership with training specialist Elev8.
Tek Experts prides itself on its family culture and the variety of work schedules on offer means that candidates can achieve a great work/life balance, too.
Are you ready to take your first steps into Nigeria’s thriving technology sector? Check out the latest positions on offer on our website at https://www.tek-experts.com/tek-experts-nigeria-jobs-in-lagos.
