Women in Tech Nigeria Accelerator Announces 11 Finalists

The Standard Chartered Foundation in collaboration with the Enterprise Development Centre (EDC), Pan-Atlantic University and Village Capital, has disclosed the first 11 finalists going for the Accelerator Phase of the Women in Tech Accelerator Nigeria programme. This yearly charitable initiative is helping young women-led, technology-based start-ups that are scaling their businesses while generating positive social and economic impacts in their communities.

After a rigorous selection process, the chosen founders came out on top from a competitive pool of applicants. They are set to go through a 12-week accelerator programme which aims to boost their investment readiness

via business growth training, mentorship, advisory support on a going basis, and access to grant funding with catalytic effect. Besides these main features, the programme will allow the participants to connect with a global community of peers, investors, industry leaders, and ecosystem partners.

Key Highlights:

• 11 tech-driven startups founded by women have graduated into the 12-week Accelerator phase of the Women in Tech Accelerator Nigeria program.
• The program offers training in business development, mentorship, guidance from advisors, grants, and introductions to investors for chosen entrepreneurs.
• This program is designed to fill some of the gaps faced by female entrepreneurs in these areas.

This cycle's finalists are Jennifer Esiaba (Mariam Grey Pharmacy), developing a telepharmacy platform with AI delivering tampered free drugs and chronic care support in more than 30 local languages throughout Nigeria with no internet connection; Ejiro Enaohwo (Ginger Technologies), working to bridge the trade and credit infrastructure gap for the women-led beauty sector in Africa; Fara Popoola (OnIt Innovations Limited), who has developed a managed home services platform through which they train, vet, and deploy skilled domestic and technical professionals; Abolarinwa Adetola (PeoplePulse Africa), who is making available affordable and localised HR solutions for African businesses.

Other people are Toyosi Badejo-Okusanya (Adaptive Atelier) uplifting digital accessibility through AI-powered tools and a marketplace of vetted disabled professionals; Jane Uwagboe (Locoomo), raising logistical efficiency by turning underutilized spaces into pick-up points and fulfillment centers; Christine Imoukhuede (Ahavaplan) is creating an AI-based CRM system for event planners; Proc360, which combines supplier verification, quality control, and secure payments into one platform for SMEs; Adejoke Haastrup (Kidsthatcode), training African children and teenagers in coding and digital skills; Oyindamola Ossi (VampAI), revolutionizing recruitment by AI hiring assistants; and Dorcas Obeahon (Ali Global), establishing a digital-first leadership academy for women in Africa.

This was the reason behind the development of the programme. The programme aimed at providing women entrepreneurs with training, mentors, business networks, and funding four areas that present significant challenges in women's business growth.

The organisers mentioned that in the past, Africa has consistently recorded quite significant levels of women entrepreneurship compared to other regions of the world. Just Nigeria alone is estimated to have as many as 23 million female entrepreneurs which constitute about 41% of the country's micro-businesses and their contribution to the country's GDP is estimated to be around 37%.

Besides this, the organisers pointed out that a wave of women going into entrepreneurship is spreading across the globe. Saudi Arabia, where the number of women involved in entrepreneurship is even higher than that of men, has seen the fastest growth. At the same time, a recent research done in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa showed that 78% of the female population there dreams of opening their own business.