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]

How Senegal's Dr. Khadidiatou Sall is Providing a Hands-On Approach to STEM Learning

[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"]Dr. Khadidiatou Sall was born in Dakar, Senegal. At age 19, she moved to France to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, and a Masters degree in Biochemistry. She later obtained a PhD in Biochemistry in the United States, before returning to Senegal.Dr. Sall is a GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) researcher and has contributed to the discovery of genes that can help seeds become more nutritious, and plants more climate resistant (resistant to drought, cold etc.).

• What particular memory in the STEM field was a first-time experience or stood out to you? Did this influence your decision to be in STEM?

Dr. Sall mentions how she has always been interested in science since she was young. She was making toys for herself, was curious, loved exploring and asking questions. She believes those are personality traits of one who is to go into science.Dr. Sall chose Biology mainly because of the hands-on approach she believed she would experience:“With Biology, you are the body, which can be an experimental tool. I can feel, see and therefore learn. The Senegalese education system does not encourage a hands-on approach to STEM learning. Maybe I would have gone into engineering.”

• Any particular person who influenced your decision into STEM?

Although, she lacked mentorship in immediate environs, her parents and uncle were very educated and guided her. Dr. Sall mentions:“They were supportive and are more like life mentors.”

• You are working on a project with young children in STEM. Could you tell us a bit about it?

In 2015, Dr. Sall founded the organisation “SeeSD” -  Science Education Exchange for Sustainable Development; a response to her growing up without mentorship and a hands-on approach to STEM learning. The organisation designs programs, curricula and experiences with close attention given to local context to educate children in STEM. They also train STEM educators and run programs in different schools. There is a pedagogy-based teaching that enables them to explore and build with their own hands.“Last year, the children were assigned a project to build a house. They figured out the architecture, engineering, structural works, electrical wiring, and completed the work.”

• Tell us about the impact of SeeSD

“The reason for the local context which is providing content in local languages is to have students understand and absorb principles and concepts better. So far 400 students in Senegal have benefitted from SeeSD.”

• Why are you embarking on this particular project? What are your future expectations?

“The project aims to reach more schools in Senegal. We have plans to train teachers to transform the Senegalese education system, and to be more hands-on and scientific in their teaching.”

• Anything else you would like to add?

“A lot of people are realising that Africa cannot move without STEM. So there is a shift to include STEM education. I am hopeful about the future of STEM in Africa as this realisation is a step towards getting the job done.”[/spb_text_block]

Rebecca Enonchong: Don't Wait, Act!

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"Entrepreneurship is just a matter of execution; too many big ideas and detailed business plans rest in the lockers".

These are the words of a woman who had dreams and ambitions, and took actions to transform these dreams into concrete solutions. A posture which enabled Rebecca Enonchong to impose her name in the male-dominated sector of information and communication technologies. At 48 years old, Ms. Enonchong is a reference in the tech scenery in Africa and particularly her home country, Cameroon. A celebrity she uses today, to encourage youth to ACT!Nothing predisposed her to become a spearhead in the tech sector worldwide. Owner of a Master of Science in Economics from the Catholic University of America, Rebecca Enonchong moved to the USA at the age of 15 with her father and mother. Prior to that, she had worked as a newspaper distributor for two years, at the end of which she became the manager of the company. Her fortitude earned her positions at famous companies which include Oracle Corp, the InterAmerican Development Bank, Atlantic group, Washington Group and Hyatt.Although very promising, her love for ICT took over when she dropped everything to start her own enterprise: AppsTech. First opened in 1999 in Bethesda Maryland, AppsTech is a global provider of software solutions for enterprises. The first African branch opened in Ghana in 2001, and later in Cameroon in 2002. She led the company with an iron handle. In 2002, she was named Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland, together with famous names like Larry Page, Alphabet’s Inc. co-founder. One year later, she won the Benjamin Franklin award in Pennsylvania. In 2014, the company employing 50 workers earned her a position among the Top Ten Women Tech Entrepreneurs by the prestigious magazine Forbes.Beyond being a dauntless business woman, Rebecca Enonchong believes tech is the answer to all our fleas and so every beings MUST have access to that antidote. That is why, she actively engages in countless non-profit organisations. Boldness oblige, she is among the leading heads of all these organisations. From VC4Africa, the largest online community for entrepreneurs and investors in Africa, to Afrilabs, a network of tech innovative centers present in more than 20 African countries, her deeds on the old continent needs not to be proven. She also started ActiveSpaces, an incubator for tech start-ups in Douala, and Cameroon’s Silicone Mountain (Buea).From the height of her 69.8K followers on the micro-blogging platform Twitter, she is a reference for tech news in Africa, a platform she uses mainly for social activism. In 2016, she brought the world to her cause trending the hashtag #BringBackOurInternet against the internet shutdown in the anglophone regions of Cameroon. A great majority of the Cameroonian internet users and famous world figures like Edward Snowden joined the fight to #KeepItOn. One year later, she urged tech giant, Microsoft, to supply computers to a school in Ghana after seeing the effort of a teacher to teach Microsoft Word to students, with just a blackboard, and chalk. A request, which ended on the awaited intervention of the giant.

"You own the present, you don't own the future... Your children own the future... don't wait for the future... you can transform this country." - Rebecca Enonchong

During the #FaceAuxBlogueurs event held at the Institut Francais de Douala, she shared her keys to success; perseverance and self-confidence. Rebecca Enonchong’s spirited and purposefulness nature made her work her way up to the top of the tech sphere in Cameroon. She firmly believes the youth can change the world, only if they believe, and she knows that technology is a catalyst to that change. During the 4IR conference held in Yaounde, a conference that aimed at empowering the youth with new technologies, she made an acclaimed appearance. She closed the event with a final enlightening and vivid speech; "You are not the future, you are the present. Make things happen, NOW!"[/spb_text_block]

Regina Honu - An Epitome of Women Empowerment

[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"]Regina Honu, a Ghanaian software developer and social entrepreneur, is one of the few women making strides in technology in Africa. She has advocated for greater engagement of young people in STEM.These could be seen when she founded the Soronko Academy and Tech Needs Girls,Ghana. The Soronko Academy is the first coding and human-centered design school for children and young adults in West Africa. Named by CNN voices as one of the 12 inspirational women who promote STEM, she was also named as one of the 6 women making an impact in technology in Africa. She is raising the next generation of women in technology and is one to watch in emerging economies.Her success story has featured on international media platforms such as BBC and Aljazeera as well as the Impatient Optimist blog by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This inspirational story was even published in Sheryl Landberg's "Lean In" where the author examines why women's progress in achieving leadership roles has come to a standstill, the root causes and then offers compelling solutions that can empower women to achieve their full potential.She attended Holy Child High school, Cape Coast for Secondary Education and is an alumnus of the prestigious Ashesi University.She then started Tech Need Girls, Ghana, a movement aimed at training Ghanaian girls in technology related studies. Regina faced challenges like stereotyping, sexism and discrimination. Nonetheless, she found opportunities through STEM to realise her dreams.

"I am using tech to leave a legacy and empower women and girls to reach their full potential. "

- Regina Honu

Her Tech Needs Girls movement has been blossoming with over 3500 girls in Ghana and  Burkina Faso. And today, mentees of Tech Needs Girls have started companies, foundations and received scholarships to study at Ashesi University.Regina has had a myriad of awards and achievements, but just to name a few, she is a member of the World Economic Forum community of Global Shapers, and a recipient of the Big Six award from Coca Cola Ghana for her incredible contribution in Technology. After Tech Needs Girls was awarded in the 2014 Ghana CSR Diary Awards, Regina was awarded a Women of Courage Award for Technology.It marvels me how a young woman has achieved all these and more. Regina Honu is an epitome of women empowerment through her words and deeds and will remain a role model to many African women.[/spb_text_block]