After working for several years in the United States at an educational nonprofit exploring the interplay between gender and technology, Oreoluwa Somolu decided it was time to take her skills back to her native country, Nigeria.
Combining her love of female empowerment with technology, she launched the Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre (W.TEC). The nonprofit serves as a hub to encourage Nigerian women to use technology to empower themselves socially and economically through a number of programs, projects and workshops. The primary objective of the center is to aid Nigerian women in developing financial independence through these programs, as well as help instill confidence, activism, awareness and advocacy for a better life. In addition, W.TEC has partnerships with a variety of local and international NGOs, educational and research organizations, including the International Development Research Centre, the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology, Rutgers Universiy’s Women in Computer Science Group and more.
“I love working with girls and young women,” Oreoluwa says. “Seeing them come into their own, with respect to learning how to use information tools in interesting ways, is heartening.”