10 African women in STEM who led the fight against COVID-19

1. Joyce Ngoi (Kenya)

Joyce Ngoi, together with her team of scientists at the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) and the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), was responsible for the successful sequencing of genomes of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the global COVID-19 pandemic - obtaining important information about the genetic composition of the viral strains in 15 of the confirmed cases in Ghana back in April 2020. Genome sequencing allows for the compilation of the most comprehensive information about an organism’s genetic makeup. Using advanced next-generation sequencing (NGS) methods, scientists are able to track and compare viral mutations to understand the origins of imported strains and to discover if any novel strains are emerging locally.

“We anticipate that this will form the basis of further genomic analysis of the virus in Ghana.” – Joyce Ngoi

Joyce is a Kenyan Molecular Biologist and an expert in several next generation sequencing (NGS) platforms. She currently manages and runs the next generation sequencing (NGS) facilities at the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) and the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), both of which are located at the University of Ghana. Joyce also has over 8 years’ experience running molecular diagnostics in the context of clinical trials.

2. Elodie Nonga (Cameroon)

Elodie Nonga and her team at WETECH (Women In Entrepreneurship and Technology) developed a chatbot called Sandra - CovidInfos237 to help the Cameroonian public in its fight against COVID-19 with rapid diagnostic tests.

“Our interactive chat tool is easy and convenient to use. Sandra allows people to do a rapid diagnostic test. This is done through a set of questions assessing your symptoms. It provides information on the emergency numbers to call if necessary or according to your results. Sandra also gives real-time and official information about Covid-19 in Cameroon and highlights local community initiatives fighting the coronavirus.” – Elodie Nonga

Elodie Nonga is a Tech Entrepreneur and Digital Communication Consultant based in Cameroon. She is the Founder of EN Group, a company designing programs for Community Development. She also Founded WETECH (Women in Entrepreneurship and Technology - wwww.we-tech.org) to support women through Mentorship, Opportunity, and Capacity Building in Entrepreneurship and Technology. She has trained more than 300 youth Cameroonians in Digital Communication.

3. Sibongile Mongadi (South Africa)

Sibongile Mongadi, founder of Uku'hamba (pty) Ltd. – a South African company using 3D printing technology to produce low cost prosthetic limbs, redirected all her company's focus to manufacture more than 200 3D printed protective masks and shields for frontline workers in South Africa, to help in its fight against the COVID-19 crisis. Sibongile is also developing an editable, open source 3D ventilator which will be manufactured using 3D printing and laser cutting technology to contribute towards shortages of ventilators needed in the country’s health care facilities.

Sibongile Mongadi is a young trailblazer and the visionary behind Uku'hamba (pty) Ltd. Her entrepreneurial talents emerged from a personal experience after interacting with an amputee at a health facility in Johannesburg. This experience led her to make a positive impact and improve the quality life of amputees by giving them back their independence.

 4. Prof. Elsie A. B. Effah Kaufmann (Ghana)

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana, Prof. Elsie A. B. Effah Kaufmann, President of the Ghana Society of Biomedical Engineers (GSBE) and her team worked to develop, locally produce and donate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and ventilators for use by frontline healthcare workers. While her team’s various projects were at different stages of development, the most advanced was their face shield project. Their prototype face shield was approved for donation by Ghana’s Food And Drug Authority (FDA). With sponsorship from First National Bank, GSBE produced 500 face shields for donation to the Ghana Armed Forces.

“We anticipate that production can be scaled up to provide enough face shields to meet the demand in Ghana and other low resource settings in neighbouring countries.” - Dr. Elsie Effah Kaufmann

Dr. Kaufmann and her colleague, Professor Kathleen Sienko (University of Michigan), also leveraged a long-standing collaboration to develop a remote student engagement opportunity focused on investigating PPE and non-invasive ventilator technologies for resource constrained settings in Ghana and Michigan. 30 University of Ghana and University of Michigan student volunteers participated in the month-long initiative. The students working in six teams evaluated the quality of available information and curated relevant information sources about aprons, face shields, gloves, goggles, respirators, and non-invasive ventilators. The student teams then assessed the suitability of different PPE and non-invasive ventilator designs for resource constrained settings in Ghana and Michigan, incorporating context-specific considerations such as cost, ease of local production, and compliance with local regulations. These assessments were used to formulate recommendations about the most relevant PPE and non-invasive ventilator designs for low-resource clinical and non-clinical settings. The recommendations are expected to enhance the design and fabrication work of GSBE.

As a member of the COVID-19 Citizens Coalition (CCC), Prof. Elsie A. B. Effah Kaufmann also helped to raise funds to support at-risk groups in Ghana. CCC members produced and disseminated educational information on the virus to support the fight against COVID-19.

Prof. Elsie Effah Kaufmann is an Associate Professor and founding Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Ghana. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE), a Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) and a PhD in Bioengineering, all from the University of Pennsylvania, USA. After her graduate studies she received her postdoctoral training at Rutgers University before joining the University of Ghana in 2001.

Prof. Effah Kaufmann was a member of the Planning Committee set up by the Academic Board of the University of Ghana to make proposals for establishing the Faculty of Engineering Sciences and was also a member of the three-person Implementation Committee set up by the Vice Chancellor following the submission and adoption of the Planning Committee’s report. She was appointed as the first Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering in 2006 and served as Head for a number of years (2006-2012, 2014-2016). In 2010 she was elected to represent non-professorial academic staff on the highest decision-making body of the University of Ghana, the University Council, a position she held for four years. In 2011 Prof. Effah Kaufmann was a winner of the prestigious International Women’s Forum Leadership Foundation Fellowship.

Prof. Effah Kaufmann’s teaching and research focus on Tissue Engineering, Biomaterials and Application of Biomedical Engineering concepts to the solution of problems in the Ghanaian context. She was the recipient of the University of Ghana’s Best Teacher Award for the Sciences in 2009. She is also keenly interested in Science education at all levels and has been the Host/ Quiz Mistress of the Ghana National Science & Mathematics Quiz TV Programme since 2006. Prof. Effah Kaufmann is the 2017 Impact Africa Summit Laureate for Education in Ghana. The award recognises her “exceptional and continuous contribution to science education in Ghana and for being a role model and inspiration to many young girls, activities which are vital to achieving Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 5”. She is also the recipient of the National Society of Black Engineers’ 2018 Golden Torch Award for International Academic Leadership in recognition of her excellence in support of academics on an international level and exhibition of commitment to the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields.

Prof. Effah Kaufmann is a Board member of the African Gifted Foundation Ghana (African Science Academy) and the British International School-Ghana. She is the current President of the Ghana Society of Biomedical Engineers.

5. Linda Mobula (DRC)

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, Dr. Linda Mobula worked as a volunteer clinician in New York City, treating COVID-19 patients in Manhattan. She also provided support to the COVID-19 response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and provided technical support to the elaboration of its COVID-19 National Response Plan in her capacity as a Health Specialist with the World Bank Group.

Dr. Linda Mobula is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins, and a Research Associate with the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Dr. Linda Mobula has worked on several outbreaks including the 9th and 10th DRC Ebola outbreaks, the West Africa Ebola outbreak, and the Haiti cholera outbreak. She has responded to multiple humanitarian emergencies; including the 2013 Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, the European Refugee Response in Greece, as well as the post-earthquake Haiti response. She previously worked as Health and Infectious Disease advisor with the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), where she worked on pandemic preparedness and provided technical assistance for humanitarian emergencies in Nigeria and DRC. She also previously worked in the Office of HIV/AIDS at USAID where she provided technical assistance to South Sudan, DRC, Mozambique and Burundi. During her residency, she made multiple trips as a medical volunteer to Haiti with Samaritan's Purse, working at a primary care clinic in Cite Soleil, Haiti’s largest and poorest slum. She later managed the Cite Soleil Clinic and a Maternal Child Health Program in Haiti after her residency with Samaritan's Purse. She obtained a Bachelor of Science with Honors from the University of AZ in 2004 and attended medical school at the University of California, San Francisco. She obtained a Masters in Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with a concentration in Health in Crisis and Humanitarian assistance. She completed residency in Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. She completed a Post-doctoral fellowship in the Division of General Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital. From 2014-2017, she was the Co-Principal Investigator for the Gates funded Ghana Access and Affordability Program which aims to improve access to treatment for Non-Communicable Diseases.

6. Dr. Ngulala Sandrine Mubenga (DRC)

Dr. Ngulala Sandrine Mubenga, Ph.D., PE, is an accomplished Congolese electrical engineer, educator, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and leader who assisted the COVID-19 response efforts in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Feeling the need to help her native country amid the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Mubenga developed a way for people in the DRC to build their own ‘breathing machines’ from scratch using equipment and materials accessible to them.

"There are less than 1,200 ventilators in the country with nearly 85 million people. Only about 50 of those machines are in the capital city of Kinshasa." - Dr. Ngulala Sandrine Mubenga

In a period of three weeks, Dr. Mubenga and her volunteer team worked together to develop a prototype of a life-saving ventilator using open-source specifications from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She also teamed up with partners, including a hospital in Kinshasa and the National Trade School to build an emergency ventilator that makes use of Ambu resuscitator bags, commonly hand-operated in hospitals by medical professionals to create airflow to a patient’s lungs until a ventilator becomes available. The new device includes a mechanism that automates squeezing and releasing motions.

"A ventilator is very delicate. You have medical, mechanical and electrical specifications that must be met. And while MIT provided most of the design documents, it did not include the most important piece until very recently – the controls code of the model. We’re talking about how to get feedback from different sensors to the microcontroller and adjust the system based on that feedback." - Dr. Ngulala Sandrine Mubenga

Dr. Ngulala Sandrine Mubenga is a Professor at the Engineering Technology Department at the University of Toledo (UT), Ohio, USA where she received the Bachelor’s (2005), Master’s (2008) and Doctorate (2017) degrees in Electrical Engineering with honors. Her research areas include battery management systems, electric vehicles, and renewable energy systems. Dr. Mubenga is also an entrepreneur. She is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of SMIN Power Group, a solar developer with offices in the USA and in the DRC. In 2018, she founded the STEM DRC Initiative, a non-profit organization that aims to encourage Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in the DRC. She is a Member of the Board of Directors at the Société Nationale d’ Eléctricité, the main electric utility company in the DRC. In 2018 she was named the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) engineer of the year.

7. Dr. Shikoh Gitau (Kenya)

Since the first case of COVID-19 was announced in Kenya, Dr. Shikoh Gitau supported the Government of Kenya in utilizing digital tools and data in their response efforts against the pandemic. Appointed to the COVID-19 ICT Advisory Committee set up by Mr. Joe Mucheru, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs - Kenya, Dr. Gitau and her team coordinated ICT specific responses to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya. She was also a part of the COVID-19 Data Modelling committee that had been providing evidence-based advise to Kenya's Ministry of Health on its response actions.

"We have partnered with the University of Nairobi to build www.cema.africa - a one of a kind platform that directly interfaces with Kenya's Ministry of Health towards data analysis and modelling. We have also supported catalyzing innovation for COVID-19 and post-pandemic recovery." - Dr. Shikoh Gitau

Dr. Gitau also served in an Innovation Advisory Committee on COVID-19 response efforts where she and her team designed and built the innovation management system: covid.innovate.ke 

Dr. Shikoh Gitau is the CEO of Qhala, a digital innovation company that catalyzes digital transformation capabilities for organizations across Africa. She has over 10 years of experience in research, design, implementation, and management of digital technologies. Dr. Gitau has established expertise in both African and emerging markets, specialized in solving problems in Agriculture, Education, Health, Payments, Retail and Renewable energies. She is responsible for the establishment of Safaricom Alpha, a first of the kind corporate innovation hub in Africa where she worked as the Head of Products – Innovation and acted as the Chief Innovation Officer. Dr. Gitau also led Safaricom’s foray into becoming a digital company, by putting together a strategy, and cross-functional teams to execute the strategy. Previously at Africa Development Bank (AfDB) where she led and advised governments across Africa to adopt ICT for service delivery, Dr. Gitau developed the Digital Government Blueprint, a strategic document to guide governments in digital transformation, now adopted by Smart Africa. She has also worked with Google and Microsoft in their emerging markets teams, and has received numerous awards in recognition of her efforts in influencing businesses and dovernments, as well as technology. Dr. Gitau sits on various boards in ICT companies and contributes to a number of steering committees and think tanks on Africa and technology. She holds a PhD and MSc in Computer Science from the University of Cape Town, South Africa.

8. Dr. Ane Ogbe (Nigeria)

Together with a team of fellow researchers and frontline health care workers, Dr. Ane Ogbe has been working to address some of the gaps in understanding SARS-COV-2 immune response and how to investigate this further by using more sensitive immunological tools. SARS-COV-2  is the virus responsible for the global COVID-19 pandemic.

To this end, we studied a large cohort of SARS-CoV-2 exposed and unexposed individuals. Using a range of well described T cell assays, we show compelling evidence of robust and heterogenous responses to SARS-CoV-2 proteins (Spike, M, NP and ORF3 and 8) in exposed HCWs while demonstrating high magnitude cross-reactive response to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in unexposed individuals. We believe that our current findings present an important advance in the field, giving researchers clear information on immunological tools that can be used to distinguish T cell responses induced by SARS-CoV-2 exposure versus pre-existing responses, and therefore providing an opportunity for a much deeper understanding of the correlates of protection in natural infection and vaccine induced immunity. - Dr. Ane Ogbe

Future work on the role of these cross reactive responses in SARS-CoV-2 unexposed individuals will add to this important and desperately needed body of knowledge for rational vaccine design and strategies.

Dr. Ane Ogbe is a post-doctoral Research Scientist working at the University of Oxford. Her research focuses on gaining deeper understanding of the immune response to diseases including HIV, SARS-CoV-2 and malaria in both natural infection and vaccine-induced immunity. The hope is that the findings from her research will inform the development of improved treatment modalities including the rational design of vaccines and strategies for their optimization and delivery.

9. Christine Were (Kenya)

When COVID-19 struck Kenya in March 2020, Christine Were and her team from Kenyatta University designed and built TIBA-VENT - a mechanical ventilator from scratch that can assist COVID-19 patients in breathing.

TIBA-VENT is a low-cost ventilator meant to aid the Kenyan government in the fight against the novel Corona Virus (COVID-19) Pandemic. In the project, I chaired the Biomedical Engineering team. This involves performing biomedical research and designs, ISO compliance, material science analysis, and necessary documentation. Presently, we have made five working ventilators that are certified by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), a government agency responsible for governing and maintaining the standards and practices of metrology in Kenya. The ventilators are now in clinical trials, as we prepare to get into the mass production phase. It's been a great opportunity for me to sharpen my skills and enhance my experience, and my aspiration is to see other women engage in such technological spaces. Great thanks to Kenyatta University for the unwavering support on innovation. - Christine Were

Christine Were is a fourth year student pursuing a Bachelors’ degree in Biomedical Engineering at Kenyatta University, Kenya. She is also a volunteer at IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics engineering) in the Kenya section, currently serving as the organizing secretary of two societies - Women in Engineering (WIE) and Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) in Kenyatta University student branch. As a technology enthusiast, Christine has participated in various invention and innovation initiatives across the country. Key among them is the invention of TIBA-VENT, a low-cost ventilator meant to aid the Kenyan government in the fight against the novel Corona Virus (COVID-19) Pandemic.Christine's aspiration is to see other women engage in such technological spaces. Presently, she is working on a project in collaboration with the African Biomedical Engineering Consortium (ABEC) to develop a remote health-monitoring device with the aim of combating global challenges associated with non-communicable diseases with an emphasis on problems affecting low- and middle-income countries. She is well versed in biomedical signal processing, biomechanics, data science and machine learning. Her research interests include neural engineering and 3D bio printing. She enjoys spear heading women empowerment activities and looks forward to becoming a UN (United Nations) ambassador, to advocate for Women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).

10. Dr. Kendi Muchungi (Kenya)

Dr. Kendi Muchungi and her team built automated handwashing systems that were used to support the back-to-school initiative the Kenyan Government instituted during the pandemic. These systems are specifically for high traffic, low income and water-scarce communities.

Dr. Muchungi has also been working with SMEs that have been affected adversely by the pandemic. Through the use of Design Thinking, she is getting them to re-imagine their business value propositions to regain sustainability. She is also currently in the design phase of an IoT device that can detect the presence of the Coronavirus.  

Dr. Kendi Muchungi is a Computational Neuroscientist and a Facilitator of Learning at Africa Nazarene University for both the Computing Department and The School of Business. She received her PhD from the University of Surrey in 2015. Her research was in the field of Computational Neuroscience and focused on replicating retina functionalities on a computer for the purpose of informing the design of retinal implants. She is currently a Programme Leader at the Computer Science Department in Africa Nazarene University. Her current proposed research is on a low-cost HoloEx device as she believes that education is vital for any sustainable economic development, and enriching the learning experience of students is at the heart of economic stability of a country.

As the world continues to fight the unparalleled challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, African women in STEM have been demonstrating their leadership in their various communities and countries. Not only have they been on the frontlines of the response effort to treat and stop the spread of the virus, but they are also spearheading advances in health and safety in their roles as scientists, researchers, innovators and communicators.

At Levers in Heels, we remain committed to ensuring that the voices of African women in STEM are heard, especially in these unprecedented times, as they share their solutions for a safer, healthier, and gender-equal world.

South Africa's Jayshree Naidoo on supporting the growth of innovative and tech-driven startups

Jayshree Naidoo is considered a thought leader on Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the CEO of YIEDI, a company that focuses on Entrepreneurship Development and Innovation. She was recently identified as one of Fast Company SA’s most Creative People in Business for 2018 for “Putting Entrepreneurs First”.

Jayshree has developed several frameworks and models for innovation and incubation and has created several structured acceleration programmes for start-ups and growth-stage entrepreneurs as well as leadership programmes for corporates. Her company was recently appointed to deliver the IBM Techcale programme for emerging technology startups. Jayshree created a customised programme for the startups which includes development, mentorship, incubation and investor readiness as well as funding.

Jayshree is also a recipient of an Inspiring Fifty SA award, an initiative introduced in 2017 by former Dutch Consul General, Bonnie Horbach  to increase the visibility of successful women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in South Africa, by celebrating the diversity of the country's Top 50 women in STEM annually.

"I completed my high school at Glenover Secondary School. But I could not go on to study at a tertiary institution due to financial constraints.  My original plan was to study law.  However, after my dad was declined a bursary to help me pursue this, I decided to study Computer Science instead, opting to pay for my studies by doing sign writing part-time."

• When did you realise you had a passion for technology?

"Not being able to study law due to the financial constraints actually opened up a door into the world of science and technology.  As part of my computer science course, I was exposed to a totally new language; that of coding, and I remember how fascinated I was to see my first line of code rendered.  At the time, the language that was being taught was COBOL. I was really fascinated by the world of technology and what it could offer.  I went on to get positions in many large corporates but was always drawn to the innovation and technology space.  This passion saw me further my studies with computers and I went on to complete an MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) course as well an E-Commerce Management Qualification at an honors level through UNISA SBL.  My MBA research was also focused on the key drivers of innovation and entrepreneurship, with a major focus on the impact of technology. My studies and passion has allowed me to work with some amazing corporates, both locally and internationally, including but not limited to the DBA, Discovery, Absa, and Standard Bank."

• You are an Inspiring Fifty winner. How does this make you feel, and how has it influenced you to create an impact in South Africa?

"Its an amazing accomplishment, and I feel truly humbled to be a part of an amazing group of women in STEM fields.  The women who have been selected for this accolade have such wonderful profiles and track record.  As with many of the other women, I consider myself a thought leader on certain topics.  I have used my public profile to increase awareness in the space of entrepreneurship support and development, and I have tried to positively influence the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem."

• What one accomplishment achieved are you most proud of, and why?

"I am most proud of being a mum.  It is one of life's greatest blessings, and I feel truly privileged to have an amazing son and daughter.  One of the reasons I am so proud of them is that they are both creatives and they are both aspiring entrepreneurs.  I am so pleased that they have chosen paths that fulfil their dreams and are destined to be job creators in fields that are much needed. We need to raise more entrepreneurs in the creative space."

• An objective of technology is to make businesses run faster and smarter. We leverage technology to improve processes in business. Tell us about the projects you run at IBM to help tech businesses grow in South Africa.

"As a supplier for IBM, my company manages some of its Technology Development programmes like IBM Techscale and IBM Business in a Box. The programmes are designed to provide access to development support, technical mentoring and resources needed to grow and scale these businesses.  In addition, some of the beneficiaries of the programmes have managed to unlock grant funding and investment from IBM, as well as opportunities that extend beyond the normal structured programme, like being selected to attend the IBM Annual THINK conference, which will be held in San Fransisco during May this year.  My company has also been selected as a supplier to attend THINK2020, an opportunity we are really excited about."

• Do you think South Africa needs a female perspective in technology? Why/why not?

"I don’t think we need a female perspective. I think we need more female representation in the space of technology. I think we need more structured programmes and support mechanisms to encourage and incentivise women in the technology space."

Jennifer Ogumbor-Larbi on Transitioning and Translating Creativity to a Tech Career

[sidebar_widget sidebar_id="sidebar-1" width="1/1" el_position="first last"] [spb_text_block pb_margin_bottom="no" pb_border_bottom="no" width="1/1" el_position="first last"]Meet Jennifer Ogumbor-Larbi, a Nigerian-born, Canadian raised Digital Content Creator, and one of Canada's top lifestyle influencers.As Editor-in-Chief of The Jeneralist, Jennifer creatively and openly shares places and spaces, travel experiences, culture, style and inspiring bits that add vibrancy to her everyday life, as she puts it.One interesting aspect of Jennifer's journey, however, is her transition to technology. As an IT consultant, Jennifer supports the implementation of large-scale IT projects while helping companies streamline and improve their business processes. 

"For as long as I can remember, I have always been a creative with a keen interest in technology."

"In my early high school years, my favourite subjects were Mathematics, Science and English. However, I took more notice to computers after taking a Computer Science elective in grade 10. After that, I began taking matters into my own hands and would often get into trouble at home for taking apart our Compaq CPU in many failed attempts to upgrade the processor and motherboard to improve my computer gaming experiences. When I was not consumed with breaking things just to fix them again, I was writing spoken word or fictional short stories, helping my friends customise their Myspace web pages, directing pop-themed video shoots with my sisters with our less than 2-megapixel webcam and compiling short films that I would later burn on DVD’s for keepsake.

As the eldest of 4 girls, I spent a lot of time living in the shadows of my parents and the pressures that came with the goals and ambitions they had for me instead of pursuing my own interests with vigour.  My parents convinced me to follow a medical path after high school and I enrolled in a Nursing program with the intent to pursue med school shortly after.  That "dream" didn’t get very far because I found out just how revulsed I was to the notion and/or sight of blood after having a breakdown during a mock ER session at the end of my first year.  I mustered the courage to de-enrol and came up with a plan to break the news to my parents.  The following year, I enrolled at the University of Windsor in the Social Sciences program and later graduated with a BA in Sociology and a minor in Economics."

• What are some of the challenges you experienced in your transition to IT? And what inspired this new career path?

"Towards the end of my second year in University, I took on a part-time job as a Service Representative with Sutherland Global, a company that works with its clients to rethink their processes and work together to streamline it, rebuild it, and deliver it back smarter than before.  For the first few months of my role, I supported ATT U-verse customers in the American Southwest to understand their frustrations with the systems in place and find ways to help the company improve its interface as bugs were identified.  One of the managers took a keen liking toward me and observed how diligent and analytical I was and encouraged me to enrol in some foundational courses in Business Analysis.  Still in school full-time pursuing my Social Sciences degree with a part-time job that was just as demanding, I held off on pursuing additional courses and continued to garner experience through the company.  I ended up taking the course over the summer, ahead of starting my fourth year and after working in that role for a year or so, I was promoted as a Junior Analyst within the company and began supporting RIM (now known as BlackBerry Limited). This was when I got introduced to the phenomenal world of enterprise software and the Internet of Things. After graduating, I pivoted from pursuing a career in my earned degree and ended up going to work with one of Canada’s largest telecommunications company as a Small Business Consultant/Analyst. I have since worked in the Government, Educational and Oil & Gas sectors supporting large IT implementations that aide companies in conducting day-to-day operational services more efficiently.  Acknowledging  that technology is ever evolving, I am currently enrolled in a series of courses to get certified in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to remain relevant in the industry."

• Tell us about the work that you do as an IT consultant. What project(s) are you currently working on?

"As an IT Consultant/Senior Analyst, I support large-scale IT projects while helping companies streamline and improve their business processes.  I am currently working on a multi-million dollar enterprise software implementation for ATCO’s Natural Gas Distribution division, to decommission multiple legacy databases previously used to manage assets and simultaneously implementing IBM’s enterprise asset management cloud solution called Maximo.  This will include complex integrations with other enterprise cloud solutions.  The successful implementation of Maximo will result in huge business benefits for the organization and a significant ROI; including but not limited to the digitization of their manually driven workforce, along with providing a single database which will become the source of truth for management of their spatial and non-spatial assets."

• What inspired the creation of 'The Jeneralist', and how do you wish to create an impact through this platform?

"While planning my wedding in 2017, I was drawn back to the childhood/early adolescent creative in me that had been so long suppressed. Putting a creative concept together for the wedding and seeing things come to fruition so vividly refuelled that creative flare and before I knew it, I began looking for ways to express myself more openly amidst all of life’s ups and downs.Excited for the challenge of building my own website, I took the leap and created The Jeneralist at the beginning of 2018 to serve as a creative outlet, nurture my love for writing and to push the boundaries of my creativity through photography.  On my blog, I share vibrant moments and travel experiences through writing and photography but also speak openly on my personal journey and advocate strongly for mental health by sharing positive messages and tips to encourage my readers to prioritise self-development and self-care.Since 2018, I’ve been able to grow (still growing!) and connect with a like-minded community of over 10 thousand people across the globe. I realise that I’ve established myself as a leader in this age of social media and remain conscious of messages I share online and the potential impact(s) they may have on my readers.  By being true to my values and continuing to share my journey as comfortably as I can, my hope is to continue encouraging others to let their own voices speak louder than any doubt in their minds that convince them that they may be inadequate. Most importantly, with so many different personalities online my hope is to continue reminding people that we are more alike than we are different and that no one person truly goes through anything alone."

• In your opinion, are there any strategic reasons why “content will always be king”?

"Within my first year of creating content for my blog, I learned very quickly that sharing content without any form of strategy is pointless. In order for your brand to grow, to encourage engagement, increase traffic or even generate new leads to your site/whatever it is you are sharing, you want to ensure that any content you put out is of high quality and will add value in some way.One simple strategy that has proven effective for my blog is doing some research on any topic that I want to share in an article/post and incorporating commonly used keywords on that topic. By doing this, it helps greatly with things like Search-Engine-Optimisation (SEO) and will also help your website to rank organically on search engines.  A higher ranking on search engines will ultimately result in increased exposure of your brand to more digital consumers searching for content/information relevant to the respective topic.Good content, whether it is in the form of a blog post or photo update on social media encourages your audience to engage with your brand.  When sharing on Instagram for example, I take the quality along with the wow-factor of the image into heavy consideration before sharing.  The simple fact is that if the content is genuinely good and you are able to captivate your audience, they will pause to consume the content, understand the message and perhaps even comment, like or share it with their followers as well.So needless to say, content will always be king."

• What advice would you give to anyone trying to transition into STEM careers?

"My advice to anyone trying to transition into STEM careers, especially women, is to find a way to get your foot in the door and to pursue your interests with vigour.Innovation has come a long way but at a time when technology continues to transform the way we live, work and learn, the need to close the STEM gender gap is more critical than ever.  From the outside looking in, STEM can often seem like an intimidating field, but my advice would be to push past the fear of the unknown in order to continue denying false stereotypes/narratives.  I encourage you to attend local STEM events in your city (eg; Women in Tech events), network as much as you can and find people (women) you can shadow to get deeper insights into your field of interest and take the initiative and enrol in some foundational courses. There is a wealth of accessible knowledge/information on the internet that can help you kick-start your journey.  You never know, your transition to STEM may just be a simple Google search away."[/spb_text_block]

Trudy Morgan - First African Woman Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers of the UK

[sidebar_widget sidebar_id="sidebar-1" width="1/1" el_position="first last"] [spb_text_block pb_margin_bottom="no" pb_border_bottom="no" width="1/1" el_position="first last"]According to data captured by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics on women in science, only 28 percent of the world's researchers were female as of 2015, and about 30 percent of women were researchers in Sub Saharan Africa. UNESCO also indicates that 27 percent of jobs in computer science are held by less women, and generally, women make up less than a quarter of STEM professionals at 23 percent with only about 20 percent of these women in STEM in leadership roles.Trudy Morgan stands out as one of the women achievers in STEM and is determined to contribute to its advancement and use STEM as a tool for bridging the gender gap.Trudy, who once dreamt of becoming an artist during her teen years, says she started thinking of studying Medicine while in secondary school. She, however, disregarded the idea after a summer job with her dad's cousin who was a neurosurgeon.

"Suffice it to say, I decided I didn't like the sight of blood and maybe medicine wasn't the right career choice for me."

Trudy eventually attended the University of Sierra Leone where she studied Civil Engineering, and is now co-founder of Sierra Leone Women Engineers, and the first female Vice President of the Sierra Leone Institution of Engineers (SLIE). She is a member of the Professional Engineers Review Council and the UK's Institution of Civil Engineers International Representative to Sierra Leone.Trudy is also the only African female fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) of the United Kingdom. The ICE fellowship is the highest grade of membership and a yardstick for those practising at the top level within the profession. With a membership of at least 92,000 spread across 150 countries worldwide, the institution has a total of 5236 fellows of who only 210 or 4 percent are women. From the total number of fellows, Africa only contributes 75 members or 1.43 percent among who Trudy is the only female.As a source of true inspiration, Trudy, stands out as an example to all women in STEM.[/spb_text_block]

Baratang Miya - Empowering Women and Girls in Tech

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“Media is one of the biggest influences on how girls define themselves. We want them to write and curate content for various distribution channels to inspire healthy conversations and honest perspectives.”

- Baratang Miya

Baratang Miya is the Founder and CEO of GirlHype — Women Who Code, a not-for-profit that provides programming and app development training for girls and young women. She is also a key leader of the Mozilla Clubs for Women and Girls.As a self-taught coder, Baratang has been sharing her skills and experiences with women and girls through her organisation. Although she focuses on getting women into STEM, she understands that this is about building women’s self-efficacy and confidence, to work in tech and beyond.Despite the success she has acquired, Baratang started from humble beginnings characterised by sexism and discrimination. Born an African black girl during the time of Apartheid in South Africa, she kept working hard though society was designed in such a way that there was a lack of opportunities and hope for her.As Baratang grew older, she came to realise that being denied certain educational and career opportunities inspired her to work with women and girls. She learnt how to code in 2003 and felt it was a powerful skill every child should learn. She thought about how powerful it would be for more young women to be exposed to it, and realise that technology and entrepreneurship is an option for them too. This led to the creation of GirlHype in 2003.GirlHype is a platform for empowered woman to be able to empower other groups of young women around them-through mentorship and instilling values and beliefs of, “I can do it,” through tangible leadership tools and education that teach girls emotional intelligence, professional skills, and personal growth.

"This is one way to bridge the digital divide in South Africa. The faster women’s digital skills are being developed and women are being given internet access, the faster they will become economically strong. They will be able to realise the economic benefits that can be unlocked by being on the web, and access opportunities that are being provided by e-commerce."

GirlHype has helped more than 10,000 women and girls so far and has its eyes set on helping 200, 000 women and girls by 2020.Baratang Miya is a woman who worked her way up the ladder. She has been named among 50 People Who Made the Internet a Better Place in 2016 by Mozilla, and was a first runner-up at the 2016 MTN Women in ICT Community Builder awards ceremony. She  received a TechWomen award by the US State Department to spend six weeks in Silicon Valley mentored by women executives in Tech, and a week in Washington DC learning about United States ICT policies from the state department. Baratang was also chosen for the 2017 ITS Global Policy Fellowship which took place in Brazil, where she had the opportunity to work with key ICT stakeholders and government officials. She was recently invited by UNCDP to Geneva Switzerland to present on e-commerce from the perspective of ACP countries. Her work at GirlHype has been presented to Deutsche Welle in Germany to G20 countries delegates.Baratang is changing the world a day at a time and helping to bridge the gender gap in STEM. When interviewed by TEDxCape Town and asked what inspires her to get out of bed every morning, she replied, “empowering women and girls to be content creators and closing the gender gap in technology.” Her journey teaches us a great lesson to be persistent, hardworking and above all, passionate in everything we do.[/spb_text_block]

"Be the Solution to the Problem You Want Solved" - Ozak Esu

[sidebar_widget sidebar_id="sidebar-1" width="1/1" el_position="first last"] [spb_text_block pb_margin_bottom="no" pb_border_bottom="no" width="1/1" el_position="first last"]Ozak Esu is an award-winning Nigerian Electrical Engineer, and technical lead at the BRE (Building Research Establishment) Centre for Smart Homes and Buildings (CSHB).As a child, Ozak loved watching cartoons but was always interrupted by power shortages which irked her. She asked her dad, “who is in charge of electricity?” When he told her it was an Electrical Engineer, she decided she would become an Electrical Engineer too to change things for the better.

“The frequent power cuts which I had experienced made me decide to take a keen interest in Physics.”

Ozak eventually went on to complete her A-Level examinations in Mathematics, Physics and Geography in Lagos.In 2008, she moved to the UK, where she earned a Bachelor's degree in Electronic and Electrical Engineering. She then secured a £54,000 scholarship for postgraduate study, and earned her PhD in 2016, working on wind turbine blades. This study demonstrated the opportunities for instrumenting low-cost sensors in consumer electronics for vibration-based condition monitoring of wind turbine blades.Alongside publishing her work in scientific journals, Ozak presented at renewable energy and vibration testing international conferences across Europe and in the USA. In 2013 she presented at the Harnessing the Energy – Women’s Engineering Society conference.Ozak joined Cundall Johnston and Partners in November 2014 as a graduate engineer whilst completing her PhD at Loughborough University. She contributed to the technical design, and supervised construction of over sixteen primary and secondary schools across the UK within her first two years at the company.She was also part of the design team for the Energy Systems Catapult office in Birmingham, awarded the prestigious British Council for Offices ‘Fit Out of Workplace’ Midlands Regional Award 2017. In 2017 she was promoted to Electrical Engineer. In this role Ozak was responsible for leading, managing and coordinating the appraisal of existing electrical infrastructure, and the design of new electrical building services, as well as acting as a mentor for students.In January 2019, Esu joined the BRE (Building Research Establishment) as technical lead at the BRE Centre for Smart Homes and Buildings (CSHB). The CSHB describes itself as "a collaborative hub for industry, academia and government. It works to accelerate the use of smart products and services within the built environment, to maximise the benefits for all and address common challenges in the Internet of Things (IoT) market".Ozak believes that if more people could have access to a consistent supply of electricity, they will be more empowered to even start their own businesses which can bring in revenue in their respective countries, and to develop other fields. She also believes that knowledge sharing is very important; “it is the way engineering and society can be advanced”.Awards won:In 2013, Ozak won the Inaugural Energy Young Entrepreneur Scheme (Energy YES) worth £2,000 whilst working within a team of four doctoral candidates from MEGS (Midlands Energy Graduate School).Ozak was named one of "The Telegraph’s Top 50 Women in Engineering under 35" list on 23 June 2017. She was the 2017 Institution of Engineering and Technology Young Woman Engineer of the Year.In September 2017, she won the Institution of Engineering and Technology Mike Sargeant Career Achievement Award for Young Professionals in recognition of her contributions to engineering and technology.Just as Ozak became successful in her field, so too can other women. You just have to recognise a problem and work towards a solution.[/spb_text_block]