- Men dominate Nigeria’s tech space due to reasons like gender inequality and limited access to opportunities
- Some women have broken these barriers and are making waves in the Nigerian tech space
- TheRadar celebrates 10 of them who are solving society’s needs through their innovative tech startups
The Nigerian technology space, like many other sectors in Nigeria, is male-dominated, making little room for women.
This can be traced to many reasons, including the historical gender inequality, limited access to opportunities, and other factors that will enable women’s access to and growth in the sector.
Despite the odds, many Nigerian women are breaking these historical barriers that limit women’s attainment of their potential in the tech space like their male counterparts.
In celebration of the 2025 International Women’s Day, with the theme, ‘For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment,’ TheRadar highlights 10 women making waves in the tech space and clearing the path for many others.
10 women making waves in the tech space in Nigeria
1. Ada Nduka Oyom
Ada Nduka Oyom is the founder and Executive Director of She Code Africa, a non-profit social enterprise providing African women and girls with access to digital education in tech.
Since its founding in 2016, Oyom has led She Code Africa and has led it to growth and secured funding to expand its programmes and operations to reach more women across Africa.
Oyom, who studied Microbiology at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, began her journey as a developer in her third year as the lead for the Google Developer Group (GDG) chapter of UNN, where she was exposed to technologies and concepts that were the springboard of her career.
She has worked as Developer Relations lead at Google and Interswitch, and earned roles and positions in other tech companies.
2. Solape Akinpelu
Solape Akinpelu is the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of HerVest, a fintech company founded in 2019.
HerVest focuses on providing inclusive finance to underserved and excluded women. The company provides African women with goal-oriented savings, impact investing, and credit options for smallholder women farmers and women-led Small and Medium Enterprises.
Akinpelu has a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from the Olabisi Onabanjo University and a Master’s degree from the University of Lagos.
She has worked in many financial institutions in Nigeria including Skye Bank, Sterling Bank, Wema Bank, Leadway Assurance, FCMB, and was the Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications at Meristem Nigeria.
3. Tito Ovia
Tito Ovia is the co-founder and Head of Public Sector Growth of Helium Health, a Nigeria-based health tech company founded in 2016.
As a health tech entrepreneur and public health professional, Ovia is passionate about improving the quality of healthcare in Africa.
The American-born Nigerian entrepreneur founded Helium Health alongside Adegoke Olubusi and Dimeji Sofowora to help hospitals digitise their health records and streamline their processes.
The company offers electronic management records to health institutions, which have helped these institutions in accessing loans by having a clear and proper record.
Before Helium Health, Ovia was an Assistant Project Manager at the Lagos State AIDS Control Agency, where she worked with private and public sector stakeholders to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS within the state.
Ovia has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Manchester.
4. Temie Giwa-Tubosun
Temie Giwa-Tubosun, with years of experience in health management and health policy, is the founder of Lifebank.
The health tech and logistics startup, founded in 2016, digitises the supply chain for healthcare facilities in Africa.
Lifebank provides services to health institutions in cities in Nigeria, Kenya, and Ethiopia.
Their marketplace connects hospitals to the products they need, such as blood, oxygen, medical consumables, and medical supplies. Through their multimodal delivery, these products are delivered safely and quickly.
Giwa-Tubosun attended Osseo Senior High School, Minnesota, graduating in 2003. She graduated from the Minnesota State University Moorhead in 2007 and proceeded to study at Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, graduating in 2010.
5. Ifeoluwa Dare-Johnson
Ifeoluwa Dare-Johnson is the founder of Healthtracka, a health tech company making medical diagnostics accessible and affordable in Africa with at-home lab testing.
Healthtracka was founded in February 2021 and leverages innovation and technology to provide home-based lab testing, self-sampling, and a practitioner digital platform that connects patients, practitioners, and laboratories seamlessly, from lab ordering to results.
Dare-Johnson previously worked as a marketing lecturer, and consumer insights at the Chartered Institute of Marketing in 2021. She was also the Head of Marketing at SynlabNG.
6. Damilola Olokesusi
Damilola Olokesusi is the co-founder and CEO of Shuttlers, a technology-driven transportation startup revolutionising commute in Lagos and Abuja metropolis.
Shuttlers enables professionals and organisations to share rides in decent buses to and from work, allowing users to book trips along fixed routes at a rate that is 60-80 per cent lower than other ride-hailing services.
Committed to solving socio-economic challenges, in 2020, Olokesusi launched Shemoves Shuttles, an all-female shuttle service (sponsored by Ford Motors Company) that has impacted 600+ female professionals by turning their commute time into learning time.
Olokesusi has a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Lagos and has years of experience in Process Engineering and Investment Management.
7. Ifedayo Durosinmi-Etti
In 2018, Ifedayo Durosinmi-Etti founded Herconomy, a female-focused fintech startup creating financial resources and information for women.
Before founding Herconomy, Durosinmi-Etti founded Parlismo Bambini and Philos and Zoe, startups that are revolutionising the baby and child industry through locally manufactured furniture and clothing for children to reduce poverty.
Herconomy is Nigeria’s first digital platform for female entrepreneurs and professionals focusing on empowering women and connecting women to opportunities, such as grants, fellowships, scholarships and jobs.
With Herconomy, women can save money and earn high interest, connect with like-minded women in the community, and build their capacity.
Durosinmi-Etti transitioned from studying Chemical Engineering to Biochemistry at Covenant University and obtained an MBA in Global Business in the UK.
8. Fara Ashiru Jituboh
Fara Ashiru Jituboh is a co-founder and CEO/CTO of Okra, a Nigeria-based fintech platform.
Founded in 2019, Okra enables secure, real-time financial information exchange between customers, applications, and banks.
Jituboh has worked with organisations like Canva, Techhustle, Sana Benefits, and Dorsata, where she gained experience building and scaling products in emerging markets and venture-backed startups.
She served as a co-founder and CTO of Shixels Studios, leading the design and development of core technology for clients like Airtel, AXA Mansard, RenMoney, MTech, Sanofi Pharmaceuticals and Nestoil.
Jituboh holds a Bachelor's of Science degree in Computer Science from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, North Carolina.
She has expertise in 20 programming languages.
9. Honey Ogundeyi
Oyindamola Honey Ogundeyi is a serial entrepreneur who utilises technology as a tool to solve everyday life problems and challenges.
She is the founder of Fashpa, Nigeria’s pioneer fashion online retail outlet, and Edukoya, an edtech built in 2021 that provides personalised learning experience for students and prepares them for examinations.
Ogundeyi is an Internet and brand management expert and consultant with experience in banking, internet, telecoms, brand management, and business consulting.
She is also skilled in web commerce, online and mobile advertising.
The Lagos-born entrepreneur has a Bachelor's of Science degree in Public Policy Management from the University of Birmingham.
Ogundeyi’s career has seen her work with organisations like United Bank for Africa (UBA) Group, McKinsey & Company, Ericsson, and Google.
10. Jessica Anuna
Jessica Anuna is the founder and CEO of Klasha, a platform founded in 2018 that enables African consumers to shop online from global retailers and pay in their local currency using their preferred payment method.
Klasha is based in Lagos, Nigeria, and San Francisco, USA, and is backed by Techstars.
Anuna has worked for two of the world’s prestigious online businesses, founded two online businesses, among other accomplishments.
She was educated at Cambridge University and also holds a degree in Journalism from City University, London.
Wonder Women: Umeoji, 5 other first female bank CEOs proving their mettle
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that Adaora Umeoji assumed office as Zenith Bank’s first female Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (GMD/CEO), adding to the troupe of female bank CEOs in Nigeria.
With the changing leadership dynamics in the Nigerian banking sector and other corporations, TheRadar spotlighted the first female CEOs of Nigerian banks who are proving their capabilities and raking in profits for their various banks.
