Spotlight

70 resources for African Women in Tech

I curated 70 resources to help women in tech start their exploration of the trifecta of knowledge, community, and money.

Africa’s technology sector continues to grow exponentially, but the same cannot be said about the women who work in it.

Only 30% of professionals working in the tech sector in Sub-Saharan Africa are women. And globally, it’s only 28%. There is, however, hope as there are several initiatives being set up to increase women's participation in the tech industry.

For further participation and empowerment, I advise experienced and upcoming women in tech to explore the trifecta of knowledge, community, and money. And I've curated 70 resources to help them start their exploration of this trifecta:

20 Communities
10 Podcasts
10 Bootcamps and fellowships
10 Newsletters and blogs
10 Accelerators, incubators, and funds
10 Books

While these resources will prove helpful to you as a female tech professional, realize that not all of them are right for you. So consider your trajectory to decide which of them is best for you, then use them diligently.

Also, don’t keep them to yourself. Share with other women in tech and younger girls who’ll love to work in tech.

Happy International Women’s Day!

Communities

WomenTech Network

Founded on the belief that women are as excellent as their male colleagues in the tech industry, the WomenTech Network organizes regular networking events for female tech professionals globally. Additionally, they host mentorship programmes and share opportunities for career growth.

Women Who Code (WWCode)

When it first launched its operations in 2011, Women Who Code (WWCode) focused on only the American community. But today, it has over 230,000 members across 122 countries. When you become a member of WWCode, you get access to a specialized job board, pool of resources, and a diverse community.

Tech Ladies

This is a leading community for women who want to stay ahead of tech recruitment. Join the Tech Ladies to get firsthand knowledge of helpful information on open positions.

Women in AI

If you’re a female in the field of AI, consider joining Women in AI. As the pioneer community to support female AI professionals, Women in AI has over 5,000 members in more than 100 countries. You’ll likely find your tribe, mentorship, and catalyst for growth when you join Women in AI.

Women in Data (WiD)

Women in Data boasts over 12,000 members and 30 global chapters. It exists to promote gender diversity in science and data analytics.

Women in Tech

If you’re a newbie or enthusiast in the tech industry, Women in Tech is a go-to community. It focuses on bridging the gender gap in tech by educating and training women.

Ada’s List

Initially created to be a safe and supportive space for women in the tech industry, Ada List has grown to a community with over 8,000 members. With them, you’ll receive quality career advice and land your dream jobs.

PowerToFly

No matter your level of experience as a female tech professional, you’ll find PowerToFly valuable. They have relevant learning resources, job opportunities, and events dedicated to helping female tech professional thrive.

Elpha

When you join Elpha, you get the chance to get thoughtful answers to your questions, have access to mentors who will act as the Jedi to your Yoda, and find sisterhood from other female tech professionals.

Rails Girls

Created in Helsinki, Rails Girls has grown into a global movement of women and girls who want to or are already involved in coding. They have organized several Ruby on Rails workshops globally for over a decade.

PyLadies

Are you a female developer passionate about the Python programming language? PyLadies is the community for you. With over 100 local meetup groups, you’re sure to find like-minded female developers.

Geek Girls Carrots

Launched in 2011, Geek Girls Carrots has grown from serving just women in Poland to impacting women across the globe. They help female tech professionals grow through their events, including meetups and workshops.

Girls in tech

Girls in Tech is a global community of over 100,000 members. Their events vary by chapter based on local needs and interests.

LearnIn.Org

Founded by Rachel Thomas and Sheryl Sandberg in 2013, LearnIn.Org is a community helping thousands of women in tech by creating an environment for them to meet with peers, get/give mentorship, and improve their skills. It also has a partner network boasting of companies like LinkedIn and Salesforce.

Ladies that UX

Ladies that UX is a supportive community of women who work in UX. These women meet monthly to discuss all things UX. They also have a wide number of local groups in different cities worldwide.

Women in Technology in Nigeria (WITIN)

Created in 2002, Women in Technology in Nigeria is one of the biggest Nigerian women in tech communities. The community creates innovative opportunities for women and girls interested in tech. It achieves this through regular events, job fairs, digital skills workshops, and bootcamps.

Afro Tech Girls

Afro Tech Girls is a community created to increase the participation of women and girls in the tech industry. They achieve this through their annual summer bootcamps.

She Code Africa

Founded by Ada Nduka Oyom to "create an Africa where women are equally represented across all career roles in technology", She Code Africa offers community and mentorship programmes to African women and girls. It boasts over 7,000 members with campuses in Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria.

Tech Her NG

Tech Her NG is a nonprofit organization aimed at bridging the gender gap in the technology industry. Its community offers learning, support, and a safe space to women in Nigeria.

Women Techmarkers

Since 2014, Google’s Women Techmarkers has constantly provided community, resources, and visibility for women in technology. Its community members have access to other women outside their locality and resources to help them thrive.

Podcasts

The Women in Tech Show

Hosted by Edaena Salinas, a software engineer at Microsoft since 2014, this podcast highlights the achievements of women in tech to empower the listeners. It also guides listeners through the recent discoveries and achievements in the tech space.

She Talks Tech

Created by WeAreTechWomen, this podcast encompasses empowering information for young women in tech, the latest technology trends, and conversations about the future of tech. Each episode features women who are domain experts.

She Did It Her Way

If you want to delve into tech entrepreneurship, you should tune in to this podcast. The host Amanda Boleyn speaks with different successful entrepreneurs, sharing guidance on how to turn your passion into a profitable business.

Marketplace Tech

Ever wondered about your online privacy status? Or thought about the possible implication of Elon Musk’s Neuralink? This podcast, hosted by Molly Wood, will answer these and many other questions about technology events and challenges.

Girl Geek X

Listening to Girl Geek X is akin to going on a coffee date with your best girl who works in tech. The podcast features successful female guests who cover topics like communication, emotional intelligence, self-advocacy, and more.

Women Tech Charge

Hosted by Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon, this podcast shares real-life stories of women leaders in the tech industry. Filled with passion and vulnerability, Women Tech Charge will motivate and empower you to take control of your career.

Gals Chat by Engineering Gals

Subscribe to this podcast if you’re interested in hearing exciting stories about unconventional people in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) community.

Her STEM Story

This interview-style podcast features guests offering advice, tools, and tips for women working in male-dominated fields.

We Belong Here

Unconventional stories inspire you to believe you can make it even as an underdog. These are the types of stories featured on We Belong Here. Tune in to learn the unconventional ways people entered the tech industry.

Ladybug Podcast

This podcast features three software developers in different sectors. They have discussions around how to begin coding, the latest technology trends, how to land your first developer job, and overcoming impostor syndrome.

Bootcamps and Fellowships

The Summer Code Camp

Organized by She Code Africa as an annual initiative, the Summer Code Camp is a four-week bootcamp targeting girls in high school to nurture their interest in STEM.

Girls in Tech

This program is dedicated to equipping female students with skills in AI, data science, entrepreneurship, and machine learning. It comprises three approaches. First, the learn approach features a virtual self-paced programme — a virtual instructor-led bootcamp and a physical bootcamp. The second is the lean approach — a three-month bootcamp that's project-based with mentorship opportunities from industry leaders. The last is the leap approach which is the entrepreneurship path or job placement.

The Women Techsters

The Women Techsters is a two-week bootcamp equipping women with the relevant tech skills helpful for jump-starting their careers.

She Hacks Africa

This is a hands-on bootcamp aimed at helping women sharpen their employability, entrepreneurship, and leadership skills by learning how to code. It also trains them to host websites and design apps. The program spans four weeks, covering AI, full-stack and mobile app development, and UI/UX design.

Afro-Tech Girls Bootcamp

Afro-Tech Girls is a Nigerian nonprofit organization focused on creating more spaces for young women in STEM. It hosts a bootcamp every summer, equipping participants with the skills to become solution creators.

She Code Africa Mentorship Programme

This is a three-month programme established to pair successful tech professionals with beginners. Participants often get more knowledge helpful to elevating their tech careers. You must, however, be a member of She Code Africa before you can take part in this program.

Women Techsters Fellowship

This is a year-long coding fellowship for only young women. It starts with a three-month training and, then, a six-month internship and mentorship programme.

Ada Developers Academy

Ada Developers Academy is a full-stack development bootcamp prioritizing black LGBTAAIA+ and low-income women. To get in, you must have previous experience in programming and excel in a coding challenge.

CodeOp

CodeOp offers women part-time and full-time programs in data analytics, full-stack development and product management. It is an 11-week program that can be completed online or physically in Barcelona.

Hackbright Academy

Hackbright Academy is a program for women looking to skill up in software engineering. It also offers prep courses showing women a day in the life of a coder. To get accepted into Hackbright, you must complete a coding challenge and two interviews.

Blogs and Newsletters

The Yogi Coder

The Yogi Coder is a blog loaded with insightful posts on all things tech and health. Consuming the content on this blog is a great way to simultaneously improve your skills and health.

Girls Know Tech

Girls Know Tech blog is a collection of assorted posts, including inspirational stories of successful female tech professionals, in-depth coding and technical topics, conference reviews, and professional advice.

Women Who Code

Women Who Code blog highlights opinion pieces, technical insights, and general career advice. The blog also celebrates top female professionals and covers industry events.

Femgineer

Created by Poornima Vijayashanker as a way for her to share her experiences working as the founding engineer at Mint, Femgineer has grown into a goldmine of resources covering topics such as tech talent recruitment and product marketing. Even more, it features online courses on technical and soft skills improvement.

Skillcrush

Skillcrush is an online coding school focused on making tech skill acquisition accessible and enjoyable for everyone, particularly women. They have a supportive and friendly blog, covering advice around deciding tech career paths, job interview tips, and industry trends.

5Ointech

50intech is a newsletter that "matches women in tech with their allies to achieve more inclusivity in tech". When you subscribe, you’ll get frequent updates on events, job openings, and other helpful information.

Women of Wearables is dedicated to connecting, inspiring, and supporting women in fashion tech, Internet of Things, healthtech, and virtual reality. They have a newsletter packed with valuable content, including monthly webinars and meetups, blog content, community and industry news.

Elpha’s newsletter summarizes the latest member discussions, career growth resources, and information specific to startups and venture capitalists.

Femstreet

Check out Femstreet newsletter if you want to learn from outstanding female tech leaders, stay on top of the latest trends, and possibly land your dream job. The newsletter covers investor insights, founder insights, and events.

Diversify Tech

As the name suggests, Diversify Tech newsletter is a collection of resources for underrepresented people in tech. As a subscriber, you get scholarships, events, job opportunities, and real stories of successful underdogs.

Accelerators, Incubators and Funds

Women’s Startup Lab

Women’s Startup Lab is a Silicon Valley-based startup and leadership accelerator for women entrepreneurs worldwide. To qualify for this accelerator, you need to have an audacious vision to create innovation and change.

The EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women Programme

Targeted at female founders who have built profitable small companies but still find it hard to discover tools for sustainable scalability, the EY programme empowers participants with resources, networks, and skills to become leaders in their verticals.

Hatch Female Founders

Hatch Female Founders is a six-month accelerator programme offering business training, coaching, expert support, and mentoring to female founders who want to succeed in business and life. It also provides a four-month incubator programme specifically for black women who’ll love to explore new revenue streams and go-to-market strategies.

Aviatra

Aviatra accelerators come in a three-part education programme approach: Explore, Launch and Grow. Each of these phases addresses the business challenges of women and also help participants identify the strengths peculiar to them. Upon completion, participants are eligible to join Aviatra's alumni network.

The Refinery

The Refinery is an accelerator programme that "fuels the growth of women-led companies". When you join them, you access mentorships and tools to scale your business. You’ll also get continuing support even after the accelerator ends.

She Leads Africa

She Leads Africa is a four-month accelerator to identify, support, and fund some of Africa’s best female entrepreneurs. You can access up to $5,000 investment if you emerge a winner.

Standard Chartered Women in Technology Incubator

Standard Chartered Bank collaborated with iBizAfrica to create the Standard Chartered Women in Tech Incubator. This incubator supports female-led entrepreneurial teams, offering funding from $5,000 to $10,000, training and mentoring.

GreenHouse Lab

Established to build and support women-led technology companies, Greenhouse Lab is a three-month accelerator investing between $50,000 to $100,000 in its participants.

FirstCheck Africa

Co-founded by Eloho Omame and Piggyvest’s Odunayo Eweniyi, FirstCheck Africa is a female-focused angel investing fund supporting female tech entrepreneurs at early stages.

Five 35 Ventures

Five 35 Ventures is a fund aimed at backing female-led startups solving meaningful challenges across Africa. To qualify for their funding, your company must be post-MVP (minimum viable product) and has implemented at least one proof-of-concept. You must have a track record of team management and fundraising.

Books

Innovating Women: The Changing Face of Technology

This book is a collection of essays, interviews and stories from hundreds of women leaders in STEM. It discusses what women are doing to close the gender gap in the tech space and offers advice to women who want to work and succeed in tech.

Women in Tech: Take Your Career to the Next Level with Practical Advice and Inspiring Stories

Women in Tech combines real stories and actionable career advice to inspire, motivate, and show women what a tech career is like and how to thrive regardless of the obstacles. It is graced by guest writers like Brianna Wu of Giant Spacekat and Angie Chang. This book comes highly recommended if you’re looking to move up the career ladder or would love to encourage your mentees or female tech enthusiasts.

Women of Color in Tech: A Blueprint for Inspiring and Mentoring the Next Generation of Technology Innovators

The present diversity in the tech industry leaves so much to be desired. Written by Susanne Tedrick, this book recognizes that fact, offering inspiring stories and practical advice that will elevate your career whether you’re a newbie in the tech industry or simply struggling to get ahead.

Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys’ Club of Silicon Valley

Female technology professionals occupy only 11% of executive positions in Silicon Valley. Emily Chang, Bloomberg TV journalist, deep dives into this problem in her expose, Brotopia. Backed with insights from successful women entrepreneurs such as Marissa Mayer, Niniane Wang, and Susan Wojcicki, Chang explores diversity problems in a brilliant yet straightforward manner. You should add this to your shelf if you’re looking to smash the glass ceiling.

Female Innovators at Work: Women on Top of Tech

Featuring 20 honest interviews with female CEOs, founders, and inventors in tech, Danielle Newnham explores how these women attained success. If you’re interested in learning from credible women leaders, you should add Female Inventors at Work to your library.

Technically Wrong: Sexist Apps, Biased Algorithms, and Other Threats of Toxic Tech by Sara Wachter-Boettcher

Technically Wrong demystifies the biases, ethical problems, and oversights posed by modern tech products, leaving readers smarter about how they can make the right decisions about the services they use.

Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office: Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers by Lois P. Frankel

Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office is an insightful book detailing how women are perceived in the workplace, the language they use, and unconscious mistakes that sabotage them. The book also questions whether women are too nice or act differently from men. This book is eye-opening and will make you think twice about how you’ll approach office issues differently in future.

Own It: The Power of Women at Work

In this book, Sallie Krawcheck, CEO and co-founder of Ellevest, draws upon her personal experience as a woman leader in tech to teach readers how to gain the power to elevate their careers. Own It arms you with the tips needed to take charge of your career.

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead

Written by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, this book discusses how women unintentionally hinder their growth. It also suggests ways women can help themselves achieve more in the workplace and business.

Unfinished Business: Women Men Work Family

In Unfinished Business, Anne-Marie Slaughter explores the problem of gender equality. She shares wise and funny anecdotes debunking the false narratives about women "having it all".

What's Next? A Reminder