How more women will access tech solutions to boost business — Anwo-Ade
Damilola Anwo-Ade is the Managing Partner of Sprout Digital Development and founder of CodeIT. In this interview, she discusses the role women can play in advancing their business using technology. focused on finding empowerment. initiatives to reach them. development women businesses out technological solutions Currently, women are This covers their health, organizations to see to there with brands that which will essentially 21% less likely to access their access to resources this need. could be far more visible. enable us to achieve as mobile technology. and the injustices that Sprout works many of the Sustainable The potential for they face on a daily basis. actively to address Development Goals as empowerment through The health sector is a their branding needs possible. At present, our technology is amazingly prime example of this. by partnering them main focus areas are vast. Sprout discovered Maternal mortality is with well established on quality education, that women especially around 1 in 200 in subSaharan organisations that gender equality and are able to create Africa. If we are believe and support reduced inequalities mutually appreciative able to enhance the use them. Access Bank's in general, decent relationship using of mobile technology women entrepreneur work and economic technological solutions among this demography, Programme earlier this growth, innovation and and can enhance their you will have more year is a great example, the strengthening of individual abilities using people accessing life where we gave away institutions. technology, saving information free and discounted
What is interesting Also, the rise of the that is readily available websites. is that in our present female population in the online through context, empowerment sector also guarantees handheld platforms. through technology has newer, different the capacity to address perspectives to socioeconomic many of these areas applications. simultaneously. In terms of communication, women accessing technology are able to be more aware of themselves, their surroundings and the resources at their disposal. A simple google search can bring in solutions to frequently asked questions in almost any setting. With technology at their disposal, women in remote areas can eliminate the disadvantage of ignorance.
Having more women online, and communicating through technology, also bridges the divide between development workers and their targets. Women that are covered in various programmes around the world would be able to address their issues in real time. This alone solves a lot of issues for those trying to creatively design, implement and restructure various
How do think women use technology empowering wellbeing?
you can in their All that Nigerian women need currently is empowerment. Thus, simplifying access to knowledge will go a long way in women
What business can women venture into online, and is there any sensitization?
Sprout actually creates tech solutions, web-based and mobile applications, customized. We teach women and people in general to create and use them. We find that creation is just 40% of the job. We find that teaching them to use on a daily basis, to recognize where it can be used, creatively and otherwise is vital. We need to adapt to tools and our way of thinking around the problems through tech.
The deeper we go into rural Nigeria, the more we recognise the need for more training. My work last year with Intel in sensitising women particularly on IT, though successful, brought to perspective the real need for more resources to put into ICT trainings for women.
Apparently, we need more collaboration between technological companies and
Your campaign is that all businesses should be online. How do you intend to get the message across, especially to women?
‘All Businesses Should Be Online’ is a campaign we began this year to get many Nigerian businesses visible to the world. Mainly because we know that internet as we use it today is already optimized for businesses and therefore it represents the ability to reach markets, create an image online that is available to everyone, at all times and at the click of a link.
Naturally, there seems to be a lot of focus on male-dominated industries, but changing the narratives in social media by identifying and continuously supporting women breeds further success and encourages individuals in the global community. We also recognize that there are quite a number of
Where do you see women interested in doing business online in the next 5 years?
It's very important that I end by saying this quote by Hilary Clinton, “Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world”. Supporting them and their businesses is the smartest thing any company or organization can do so that in the next five years, women can create a revolution in business, especially with the aid of the ease of doing business policy.