Tech4Dev Collaborates With Sterling Bank To Create Opportunities For Women In Technology
Tech4Dev collaborates with Sterling Bank to create opportunities for women in technology
Sterling Bank has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Technology for Social Change and Development Initiative (Tech4Dev), a non-profit social enterprise that works to provide Africans with access to decent work through the empowerment of digital and technological skills and advocacy. The agreement is part of Sterling Bank's ongoing efforts to build a diverse and inclusive team.
Sterling Bank officially committed to partnering with the Tech4Dev as an experiential learning partner for its Women Techsters initiative during a signing ceremony held recently at the Marina Headquarters of the financial institution in Lagos. The Women Techsters initiative is a Tech4Dev initiative that aims to close the digital divide that exists between men and women in the technology ecosystem by equipping 5 million women across Africa with digital and deep tech skills by 2030. According to the organization, a partnership with Microsoft is currently underway to empower 10,000 women in five African countries by 2021: Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, and Egypt.
Oladiwura Oladepo, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Tech4Dev, spoke at the signing ceremony and emphasized the importance of the partnership with Sterling Bank in his remarks. “Gender equality is at the heart of everything we do at Tech4Dev, and it is a significant component of our Women Techsters initiative,” she says. Having forward-thinking organizations like Sterling Bank, who are considering how the workforce will look in two, three, and five years as well as the importance of gender balance within an ecosystem, is a source of great pride for us. We want Sterling Bank to be able to say, at the conclusion of the internship period, that they received value from the interns.”
Sterling Bank's Chief Digital Officer, Olayinka Oni, discussed the company's desire to build a diverse team, saying, "Diversity is not a compliance agenda; it is an intentional strategy." Internship is something we do on purpose as well. We are interested in any project that helps to develop the ecosystem, such as the Women Techsters initiative.”
Some of the Women Techsters Fellows from across the continent's five countries are currently in the final week of their intensive training, and they will be the direct beneficiaries of this partnership with Sterling Bank, who will provide them with a 6-month internship opportunity with the bank.
Sterling Bank and Tech4Dev were represented by a diverse team, with special mention going to Olayinka Oni, Chief Digital Officer of Sterling Bank; Chigozie Anyasor, Head of Enterprise Solutions Engineering of Sterling Bank; Dipo Adebajo, Head of Organization Development and Talent Acquisition of Sterling Bank; Oluwakunmi Idowu, Talent Acquisition Partner (Internship desk) of Sterling Bank; and Oluwadame Akinni, CEO of Tech4Dev.
About Tech4Dev
It was founded in 2016 as a non-profit organization called the Technology for Social Change and Development Initiative (Tech4Dev). Tech4Dev was founded with the goal of empowering African communities through the development of digital skills and advocacy.
