Ivy Barley, the Co-founder of Developers in Vogue, has stressed the importance of women in fighting biases in the tech space.
Speaking during the EdTech Monday segment on the Citi Breakfast Show, Ivy Barley, said women were needed in the tech space for this reason.
“Biases don’t just involve even the products that are being built. It involves things like the algorithms that these companies are building in terms of technology,” she explained.
“Having women on board is very important because women can contribute to reduce some of the biases that already exist that are against women of colour, against black people, against Africans,” she added.
Ivy Barley also noted that women with her standing in the tech space needed “to advocate for more women and to encourage more women to get into technology.”
Furthermore, she said men also needed to stand up and be counted as allies to women in the tech space.
“If you are working in a company as a man, look out for opportunities to support the women who work in your company,” she urged.
EdTech Monday is an initiative of the Mastercard Foundation Regional Centre for Teaching and Learning in ICT.
This edition was on celebrating women in tech.
About MEST
MEST offers Africa-wide technology entrepreneur training, internal seed funding, and a network of hubs providing incubation for technology startups in Africa. Founded in Ghana in 2008, MEST provides critical skills training, funding, and support in software development, business, and communications to Africa’s tech entrepreneurs.
Hubs are located in Accra, Ghana; Lagos, Nigeria; Cape Town, South Africa; and Nairobi, Kenya.
To date, MEST has trained over 500 entrepreneurs from across the continent and invested in over 80 startups across industries from SaaS and consumer internet, to eCommerce, Digital Media, Agritech, Fintech and Healthcare IT.
MEST is primarily funded by the Meltwater Foundation, the non-profit arm of Meltwater, a global leader in media intelligence and Outside Insight.