May the Internet Be With You- Highlighting the Benefits of a Connected World.

Over the world, people are working to build a more humane technology, which is a natural extension of who we are and this makes me believe the enabling power of technology.

 In my tech journey, I have explored technologies and digital tools on the Internet to assist my work in raising the next cadre of women in IT who are not only invited to the table or not only contribute to discussions , but are thought leaders who hold roles that are pivotal in the tech world. 

When I was offered Computer Science for my undergraduate studies, I only envisioned staying a year and changing my program to any one in the health sciences but that did not happen. My father recommended I do a search on a lady he heardd about on radio who was a trailblazer in the tech world and was helping others. I did the search, gathered information and was able to reach her and propose that she mentors a group of us young women in the first year Computer Science class. She did this gladly and helped most of us out of our quagmire- and this was how I found my purpose.

As the Community Engagement, Internship and Jobs Lead at Hacklab Foundation, curators of West Africa’s largest Hackathon, I have helped much about 150 undergraduates  graduates to the job market and actively manage a community of student developers in tertiary institutions all over the country in what we call the X-Hubs. These hubs are self convening hubs and inspire leadership in the students. Through these hubs, we have had an upsurge of females participating in our hackathon with 2- all female teams winning in 3 different categories at the Hackathon. Some of these ladies have returned to us and had the opportunities to go back to the community to impact. The hubs are currently active in four tertiary institutions and we look to expand to many others with our work.

In 2019, I coordinated the maiden edition of the Ghana Youth IGF under the theme "Future of work: Digital jobs and Youth Inclusion". This event attendees were 30% female who were interested in learning about the Internet and understanding how emerging technologies such as AI and IoT will influence the future of work. We currently have 92 community members on Telegram and seek to engage in more work offline to connect the unconnected when we get the necessary support.

On Internet Governance and advocating for youth inclusion in policy discussion, my work extends to the West African sub region and global terrain where I serve on the steering committee of the West African Youth IGF and as the secretary of the Internet Society Youth Special Interest group. 

My career has been watered by volunteer activities, tech community building, and leadership roles. I aspire to embody the profile of a woman leading in tech and building other women, grooming them from on boarding through to potential leadership and this is where I would acquire the mentorship, exposure and sponsorship to implement plans that can aid me in meeting this goal.

I also aspire to be a Tech Policy Analyst, contributing to dialogues that shapes the internet and its use.

See more: 

I. Discussing The future of IoT: towards a more secure and human centric devices.

II. Discussing varied approaches to digitally skilling youth 

III. LinkedIn

IV. Twitter