Ghana’s female edutech platform, Divaloper has been named along with eleven other African female-founded tech startup finalists to participate in the inaugural ‘The Future is Female Mentorship Program.’
Based in the northern regional capital of Ghana, Tamale, Divaloper, in partnership with other organizations including Next Einstein Forum’s African science week, Ispace Ghana and WegoInnovate, have trained more females and encouraged them to choose careers in technology.
Speaking to Biztech Africa the Co-founder and Chief Executive Office of Divaloper, Zulaiha Dobia Abdullah disclosed that “since we started last year, we have taken 20 ladies through the intro to IT and how to use the pc, we are currently mentoring 20 ladies in web development and have reached out to 100 senior high students to sensitize them and encourage them to pick tech careers when applying to colleges.”
Ms Zulaiha indicated her outfit’s excitement for making it to the finale of the mentorship program. “We are thrilled! Being selected as one of the finalists for us is so reassuring that what we are doing for the community, to empower more ladies in Tech, is gradually coming to be realised,” she said.
“We as an organisation understand the role mentorship plays in helping scale an organisation, a team and a community and we are grateful for the opportunity to learn and explore,” she added.
The Future is Female Mentorship Program which is an initiative of C. Moore Media, an independent PR agency headquartered in New York, specializing in the US, UK, and African markets is aimed at assisting female tech founders on the continent to gain insights into the fundamentals of PR and communications, and understand how to leverage this knowledge to gain visibility, grow their business, and build their brand.
Launched in June this year, the program received in total, 139 applications from 18 different African countries of which 12 were finally selected for the final round.
In a statement available to Biztech Africa from C.Moore Media, it explained that during the mentorship program, the mentees will learn insights into PR and communication fundamentals for tech startups, including how to create and execute a communications plan.
“In addition, female founders will learn how to leverage PR and communications to gain customers, attract investors, and secure premier partnerships customized for their business and sector’s unique needs,” it stated.
Three of the selected startups come from Uganda and include Chi Ai Lab, Easy Matatu, and Mkaziprenuer. An additional three are from Nigeria, namely Movemeback, CAWSTEM, and Clean Technology Hub.
Kweza Technologies, RPA Nuggets, and YISA Deliveries were selected from South Africa, Ninsiima and eDispensary each made the final list from Kenya and Tanzania respectively.
“We were delighted by the response to the program. African tech female founders are underserved and often overlooked when it comes to the distribution of investments and resources.
We wanted to create a complimentary program dedicated exclusively to African tech female founders to support them in their entrepreneurial journey as tech startups,” said Claudine Moore MD/Founder, C. Moore Media International Public Relations and Adjunct Professor, New York University.
The Future is Female Mentorship Program is a virtual program, and each mentee will participate in an exclusive group master class. These classes will be held in August, followed by three individual online one-hour, one-on-one sessions from September to November. Each session is customized to the needs of each mentee and their business goals.
