The Executive Director of eHealth Africa (eHA), Juliet Odogwu, has reiterated the organisation’s commitment to the empowerment of African women in the technology sector.
The tech ecosystem in Africa is mainly dominated by men, and only a very few women are actively involved in the sector.
As such, bridging the gap between male and female participation in the technology sector remains a huge challenge for stakeholders.
The mission of eHA is to build stronger health systems through the design and implementation of data-driven solutions.
According to the non-governmental organisation (NGO), it responds to local needs and provide underserved communities with tools to lead healthier lives.
Development Diaries gathered that the NGO recently conducted training, through the eHA Academy, for at least 16 young women in Information Communication Technology (ICT) skills.
The training, it is understood, was conducted to encourage young women to explore the opportunities in technology.
The NGO launched the academy in 2014 in Guinea, and the goal of the academy is to serve underserved communities.
‘The objective of the eHA Academy is to build capacity in software development initially in Kano and then scaled up nationwide and the continent’, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted her as saying.
‘This is also done in collaboration with the universities, state governments, the private sector and other development partners’.
One of the mentors in the academy, Muyiwa Felixson-Yusuf, encouraged the graduates to utilise their training skills effectively and improve further on them.
As for a participant, Salima Rabiu, she appreciated the management of eHA and the mentors for the opportunity given to her to acquire more skills outside her profession.
Another graduate from the programme and a medical doctor based in Kenya, Cynthia Waliaula, said that the programme was an eye-opener.
Photo source: UNICEF