With digital transformation fast becoming a reality for many societies, Women’s Haven Africa – a female tech and innovation hub based in Kumasi – has implored young women to explore the opportunities presented by digitisation to provide solutions for social and business challenges.
Executive Director of Women’s Haven Africa, Adwoa Fosua Owusu Ofori, observed that women have a lot of potentials which when unearthed could help accelerate development.
Against this backdrop, she recognises that women possess solutions to the challenges faced within local communities and beyond.
However, she cautioned that: “Once you have a vision and you are aiming toward it, you are bound to face some challenges; particularly when you are a woman”.
She therefore observed that maintaining your confidence and a strong belief in the idea, and creating the right network of people, is critical to attaining success.
Committed to increasing women participation in technological development, she said Women’s Haven Africa has found it expedient to provide the platform for young women to be trained in web development.
The idea is to help them develop innovative ideas that will provide solutions not just for local challenges but global ones as well.
It was in this regard that some 16 young females in Kumasi were brought together by Women’s Haven Africa to undergo six weeks intensive training in web development, under its ‘Women’s Startup Pitch Summit’ programme.
The event was organised in collaboration with Ghana Tech Lab, and a host of other partners provided the platform for participants to pitch their innovative ideas to a panel of judges.
Ms. Ofori explained that out of the six teams in total, two teams will be selected and ‘incubated’; while the remaining teams will be given the opportunity to also further undergo internship training.
She also noted among others that: “Women’s Haven Africa seeks to increase the participation of women in entrepreneurship, leadership and technology”. The Summit also aimed at creating an avenue for startups to launch their products, get investor feedback and possibly land funding opportunities.
In a panel discussion by other startups prior to the main event, discussants urged young women not to be deterred by the technicalities of the Internet but leverage the free tools it offers to equip themselves.
They also acknowledged that virtual transformation is bound to occur, and cited the work transformation brought on by the global outbreak of COVID-19 as an example.
