Improving the Impact of Diversity Initiatives in Africa

Tips for Initiating Technology Initiatives in Africa

• Partner with existing communities to leverage their networks and structures
• Understand the challenges inherent in Africa before setting unrealistic expectations
• Prioritize mentorship over events
• Create a specific pipeline for learning and growth within the technology
• Prioritize remote or hybrid events to increase participation
• Be cautious when using influencers to promote initiatives

The speaker shared a story of someone who had to travel to Europe before getting to Nigeria for a conference, highlighting the difficulties of travel within Africa.

Africa as a whole is making giant strides in terms of technology adoption but job and educational opportunities remain scarce. Not everyone has the chance to be in the right place at the right time to access these opportunities.. Thankfully, alot of organizations have been creating new initiatives and programs to help Africans better access these opportunities. Despite these new intiatives, the impact has been limited. It will take more time and continued investment for them to generate a meaningful impact. . Some of these programs also struggle from a lack of experienced leadership, an inability to target the right audience, and unreasonable expectations. In this talk, Abubakar will be sharing how we can improve the success of outreach in Africa by approaching Africa as a continent and not as a single entity, how to reach the right audience, and how to get traction for your diversity programs.