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Erica Effah is a seasoned professional based in Toronto, with expertise spanning over 7 years in marketing and operations within the Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) and Business-to-Business (B2B) technology sectors. In today’s dynamic digital landscape, the role of content marketing has become more critical than ever in driving business success.

A Journey of Evolution

Erica’s journey into the world of content marketing is marked by a trajectory of evolution and innovation. Beginning as a digital creator, she cultivated her skills in crafting engaging content and building online communities. However, her passion for creativity and storytelling soon intersected with her corporate aspirations, leading her to explore avenues where she could leverage her talents to drive tangible business outcomes.

Bridging Creativity with Corporate Expertise

Transitioning into roles as a Marketing and Business Development Executive and Operations Team Lead, Erica brought her unique blend of creativity and strategic acumen to the forefront. Here, she played pivotal roles in devising and implementing content marketing strategies that not only captured audience attention but also propelled organizational growth. From B2B SaaS startups to global supply chain companies, Erica’s impact was felt across diverse sectors, where her initiatives contributed to navigating the complexities of scaling businesses from seed stage to securing Series A funding.

Driving Growth Through Innovation

At the heart of Erica’s approach lies a commitment to innovation and data-driven decision-making. By harnessing the power of analytics and leveraging insights to inform content strategy, she has consistently delivered measurable results. Whether it’s optimizing legacy facilities or spearheading organic marketing efforts, Erica’s ability to drive growth through innovation has positioned her as a trusted leader in the content marketing space.

A Vision for Business Transformation

As the founder of Erica Tiwaa Agency, Erica is on a mission to redefine how businesses approach content marketing. With a focus on efficiency, strategic thinking, and a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by early to mid-stage businesses, she aims to empower organizations to unlock their full potential in the digital realm. Through her expertise, Erica is paving the way for businesses to navigate the complexities of today’s digital landscape with confidence and clarity.

The city of Brampton recently witnessed a dynamic convergence of innovation and inspiration as Canada Vendors hosted its highly anticipated Empowered Summit. This event brought together experts from diverse fields, offering invaluable insights into technology, cybersecurity, and health.

The summit featured distinguished panellists who shared their expertise with an engaged audience:

Pamela Anoliefo, a Scrum Master with a deep understanding of agile methodologies, addressed the crowd on the evolving landscape of technology and its implications for entrepreneurs. Her presentation sparked discussions on how businesses can harness the power of agile practices to drive innovation and adapt to a rapidly changing world.

Fola Adegoke, a distinguished Cybersecurity Expert, shared insights into the critical role of cybersecurity in today’s digital landscape. Attendees gained an understanding of the cybersecurity challenges businesses face and how to safeguard their operations in an increasingly interconnected world.

In the realm of health, Bridget Nwagbara delivered an engaging presentation on cardiovascular health, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a balanced and healthy lifestyle. Her holistic approach resonated with the audience, underscoring the vital connection between well-being and professional success.

The presence of Mayor Patrick Brown at the event highlighted the city’s commitment to supporting entrepreneurship and fostering innovation within the community. The Mayor’s participation underscored the significance of collaboration between local government and business leaders in driving economic growth and progress.

Additionally,  Uche Okugo, President of the Network of Nigerians in Canada added a sense of community to the event, emphasizing the importance of cultural and professional networks in facilitating growth, unity, and support.

Canada Vendors, the driving force behind this successful event, is owned by Maryam Muritala. Speaking about the summit, Maryam Muritala shared, “The Empowered Summit aimed to create a platform where innovation, knowledge, and collaboration intersected. It is heartening to see the business community of Brampton come together with a shared vision for growth, and I’m incredibly proud of the diverse insights and ideas that were shared at this event.”

The Canada Vendors’ Empowered Summit provided a platform for gaining knowledge and insights, along with opportunities for attendees to network, collaborate, and explore the myriad possibilities in the entrepreneurial landscape.

As the summit concluded, the buzz of excitement and inspiration lingered, leaving attendees motivated to embark on their entrepreneurial journeys armed with newfound knowledge and connections.

For more information on Canada Vendors and their future events, please visit their website

Wendy Nwajiufor is an award-winning professional with over 10 years of valuable experience in the ever-evolving tech industry. At present, she holds the distinguished position of Senior Agile Business Analyst with one of North America’s largest logistics companies and serves as a Program Manager at BlackTECH. However, her impressive journey doesn’t stop there.

Wendy is the brilliant mind behind WinTECH, a visionary initiative born from her unwavering passion and commitment to reducing the gender gap in the tech world. She believes in fostering a more inclusive industry for everyone, regardless of gender, and she’s taking concrete steps to make this vision a reality.

Collaboration is a key element of Wendy’s approach. She has worked closely with corporate organizations and other stakeholders to deliver impactful programs and initiatives aimed at advancing women in the tech sector. Her dedication and tireless efforts have garnered well-deserved recognition, with awards such as the Community Champion Award by YMCA and the Women in Tech Excellence Award by Remarkable Women Inc.

A Versatile Education and Skill Set

Wendy’s educational background is as impressive as her professional achievements. She holds a degree in Computer Science and has earned a master’s in Human Capital Management, a perfect combination of technical knowledge and human resources expertise.

Her encompasses various facets of the tech and business world. Wendy excels in Business Development, Planning and Coordination, Agile Business Analysis, Strategy and Transformation, and Content Creation. With over 48,000 YouTube followers, she has successfully built a substantial online presence and community.

Wendy Nwajiuofor

Certifications That Speak Volumes

Wendy Nwajiufor’s commitment to excellence is evident in her numerous certifications. She is an SAP ERP Certified Human Resources (HR) professional, a Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP), a Certified Scrum Master (CSM), a Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), and holds the Certified Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) certification. These certifications reflect her expertise in diverse areas and her dedication to continuous professional development.

Balancing Work and Family

Beyond her career, Wendy treasures quality time with her family. She is happily married to the love of her life and is the proud mother of four adorable children. This harmony between her professional and personal life is a testament to her ability to excel in multiple domains.

Wendy’s journey in the tech industry is not just about individual success; it’s about creating a more equitable, inclusive, and diverse future for all. Her work and achievements exemplify the positive impact one person can make on a global scale.

Connect with Wendy (Chyluv) on her social media platforms:

  • Facebook: Wendy Nwajiufor
  • Instagram: Wendt Nwajiufor
  • YouTube: Wendy Nwajiufor
  • Email: wendynwaji@gmail.com

Women have made great strides in the workplace. As a female student in college, the sky is essentially the limit. You can choose to take any career path that piques your interest. Of course, that assumes that you have a career path in mind.

Today, women can become anything they please. However, that sort of diversity in opportunity can confuse some students, both men, and women. Female students, in particular, struggle to identify the career paths they should adopt because they do not just want to secure a well-paying job.

Rather, they want to pursue a balanced life, one in which they are making money, socializing, starting families, essentially living a well-rounded existence. This puts young female students that do not know which career they must choose to make their dreams come true in a difficult position.

If you fall within this category, you are not alone. And if you are looking for inspiration, these are some of the career paths that other female students will most likely pursue in 2023.

1) I.T

The information technology arena has undergone numerous developments and advancements over the last few decades but it is showing no signs of stopping. This is why so many women are attracted to it. The field offers women options in terms of the type of work they can pursue. They can work on their own or as part of a team, developing programs or managing computer systems, making video games or building phones.

The sky is the limit for women in this field. There are no restrictions on what they can or cannot do. The field also creates an opportunity for women to work from home.

2) Freelance Writing

If you spend time online, you have probably noticed that the number of blogs written by women has grown. So many successful female bloggers started as housewives with free time or a desire to make their own money. And once they realized that they could blog about their interests, they went on to create massive online empires.

Plenty of female students are starting to target this field. Some of them blog. Others are editors. Quite a number can see the money that the freelance writing arena has to offer. But they are primarily attracted to freedom, the fact that you can work whenever you want.

3) Healthcare

Women have always flocked to the medical field. This is because they are natural caregivers. Decades ago, the majority of women in medicine were nurses. These days, women can become surgeons, pharmacists, physicians, basically any rank in medicine that they desire.

This is why female students are targeting this career path. It brings money, power, and status to the table. But there is also an opportunity to help the less fortunate. If you have even the slightest interest in medicine, you should know that medical programs are demanding, not only in terms of money but time as well. You must be prepared to surrender your entire life to your career.

The other problem is the number of papers that you need to deliver before you graduate. Luckily every female student can get nursing papers for sale at Copycrafter.net, it’s really convenient.

4) Mental Health

The fact that women are natural caregivers means that they are also suited to the field of mental health. They are empathetic. They also know how to listen and communicate. Besides the opportunity provided to help people, you stand to make a lot of money, especially if you can accumulate the necessary experience.

Female students were already flocking to the mental health field before. But their numbers are definitely going to grow in the coming months and years.

5) Civil Engineering

When people think about women in the workplace, their minds immediately turn to journalism, interior design, advertising and other careers of that ilk. They rarely think about civil engineering. That is a mistake because women are starting to flood this field in greater numbers than ever before.

Civil Engineers build things. They design and manage infrastructure-related projects. That brings with it quite a bit of prestige and that is attractive to female students who want to leave their mark on the world.

They want to go down in history as the women who built dams and skyscrapers and roads. They also want to earn the massive paychecks attached to such projects. As such, you shouldn’t be too surprised to find female students enrolling in civil engineering courses.

Soure: Bauce Magazine online

Innovation is the lifeblood of the tech industry, driving change and progress at a breakneck pace. And few people embody this spirit of innovation better than Funke Opeke, the visionary founder of MainOne.

Her career spans more than two decades in the United States and Africa, and she’s helped with some of the biggest tech development stories.

MainOne helps connect millions of people to the digital world in West Africa today as a leading provider of broadband infrastructure solutions. So join us as we explore this trailblazing entrepreneur and her ongoing quest to revolutionize innovation in the tech industry.

Who is Funke Opeke?

Funke Opeke is a name that has become synonymous with innovation in the tech industry, particularly in Nigeria. She is the founder and CEO of MainOne, a company that provides telecom and network solutions to businesses in Nigeria and West Africa.

Since founding the company in 2010, Opeke has become a trailblazer in the male-dominated tech industry, showing that women can excel in this field. Opeke’s journey in the tech industry began after she returned to Nigeria from the United States, where she worked with some of the biggest names in the tech industry, including Verizon and MTN.

In 2008, she identified a gap in the Nigerian telecoms market and started MainOne to provide much-needed network solutions to businesses in Nigeria and West Africa.

Funke Opeke’s Upbringing

Funke Opeke, originally from Ile-Oluji, Ondo state, grew up in Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo state. She was born into a family of nine, and her father was the first Nigerian director of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, while her mother was a teacher.

After completing her secondary education at Queens School, an all-girls school in Ibadan, she studied electrical engineering at Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. Funke’s parents were highly successful, and they inspired Funke Opeke and her siblings to have big dreams and use their gifts. It is an example of the phrase, “The apple does not fall far from the tree.”

Late Professor Chief L.K. Opeke, Funke Opeke’s father, achieved several notable accomplishments during his lifetime. Among these was being the first Nigerian to hold the director position at the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria. They also awarded him the World Cocoa Gold Merit Award and were a director of Cocoa Industries Ltd, one of Nigeria’s major companies during the 1980s.

In addition to these achievements, he served as a member of the first Senate of the Federal University of Technology in Akure, Ondo state, where he was also the Dean of the School of Agriculture & Agricultural Technology. Her mother, who is now retired, was a teacher who held leadership positions at several Catholic private schools.

Her Innovation in the Tech Industry

One of the most remarkable things about Opeke’s leadership style is her commitment to innovation. She is instrumental in driving innovation at MainOne, leading the company to develop some of Nigeria’s most advanced telecom and network solutions.

Under her leadership, MainOne built West Africa’s largest data center, which is a hub for businesses looking to expand their operations in the region.

But perhaps what is most inspiring about Opeke is her dedication to promoting gender diversity in the tech industry. She speaks extensively about the need for more women to take up roles in the industry and is a vocal advocate for women’s rights in the workplace.

Opeke has shown that women can lead and innovate in the tech industry, and her example is inspiring a new generation of women to pursue careers in the field.

Through her work at MainOne, Opeke is changing the tech industry landscape in Nigeria and West Africa. It is glaring that innovation and leadership are not the exclusive preserve of men and that women can excel in the tech industry.

Her story is one of resilience, hard work, and determination, and it inspires women worldwide who aspire to break barriers in their chosen fields.

 

The Reason for Starting MainOne, and What the Initial Vision Was.

Funke Opeke founded MainOne to bridge the digital divide and extend internet connectivity to West Africa, aiming to accelerate the pace of development and improve the region’s quality of life.

After witnessing the explosive growth of the internet and gaining professional expertise in the field during her two decades in the United States, Funke Opeke founded MainOne to bridge the digital divide and extend internet connectivity to West Africa, aiming to accelerate the pace of development and improve the region’s quality of life.

Through MainOne, Funke Opeke aimed to bring the same technological advancements and opportunities to Africa that were transforming other regions to ensure they would not leave Africans behind in the global digital landscape.

MainOne aimed to create new opportunities for education, commerce, and communication by expanding access to internet services and enabling Africans to participate fully in the digital age.

How MainOne Created Innovation in the Tech Industry Over the Years

MainOne, which built West Africa’s first privately owned submarine cable, has grown into a primary provider of broadband infrastructure solutions, including connection and data center services, two telecommunications companies, businesses, and governments across the region.

MainOne has made significant investments in regional commercial Tier III data centers and terrestrial fiber networks to achieve this transformation, expanding its services and geographic reach over the years. As a result, the company has built a strong reputation for reliability and innovation, offering a wide range of connectivity and data center services that have helped to transform the digital landscape in West Africa.

Despite the challenges posed by being a woman in the tech industry, Ms. Opeke has succeeded in expanding MainOne’s offerings while maintaining a commitment to providing high-quality, affordable services to its customers.

With a sound track record of success and a continued focus on innovation and investment, MainOne is well-positioned to generate value for its customers and stakeholders well into the future.

Funke Opeke is a shining example of how women can lead successful innovation in the tech industry. As we celebrate her achievements, we must also look to the future and work towards creating a more inclusive and diverse tech industry that empowers women to succeed.

Claudette McGowan is a global information technology leader with more than 18 years of success leading digital transformations, optimizing infrastructure and designing new approaches that improve service experiences.

Read Also: Afroglobal TV Excellence Awards Honours Olunike Adeliyi, Claudette McGowan, Others

She has worked in the technology industry for several organizations such as Deloitte, Metropolitan Police Services, North York General Hospital, Bank of Montreal and TD Bank. ​

Claudette began her career at BMO in 2000 and held multiple senior leadership roles including Chief Information Officer, Enterprise Technology Employee Experience. In 2020, she joined TD Bank as Global Executive Officer for Cyber Security. ​

In her spare time, Claudette writes books for children, builds robots and is the founder of the Black Arts & Innovation Expo. Claudette holds a Bachelor of Arts from Lakehead University and a Master of Business Administration from Athabasca University.

Related: I Started Immiducation To Give Immigrant Professionals Access To Careers In Tech- Janey Buzugbe

She is the recipient of several prestigious awards: In January 2020, she was selected as an honoree at the Jamaican Canadian Association’s 20th International Women’s Day event for her groundbreaking work in STEM. In 2019, Toronto Life recognized her as one of the city’s Top 50 Most Influential Torontonians, Women’s Executive Network recognized her as one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada, AdWeek Magazine heralded Claudette as a Toronto Brand Star, and the Digital Finance Institute honoured her as one of the Top 50 Canadian Women in FinTech.

Read Also:  16 Inspiring Nigerian Women Making A Difference In Canada

In September 2019, Claudette also had the honour of moderating what is being hailed as ‘the most insightful one-on-one conversation’ with Former First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, in front of a sold-out crowd of 3,000-plus at Elevate, Canada’s largest technology festival.

Claudette was recently honored by Afroglobal TV as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Canadian , she also received the  Science and Technology Excellence Awards

We stan a queen!

 

STEM has a capacity to make huge impacts in the lives of young people, particularly women and girls, on the African continent cannot be underestimated.

STEMi Makers Africa, founded by Amanda Obidike, addresses the existing unemployment gap, the underrepresentation of young women and girls in STEM and the fragmented education system by training teachers and students in STEM Education.

Amanda Obidike is a multi-award winning social innovator, technologist and scientist. She is the Founding Curator of the WEF Global Shapers, Ozubulu Hub and Executive Director of STEMi Makers Africa. Her role in this position is to provide leadership, strategy management and oversee the design and implementation of sustainable Community projects and STEM Education across 19 Sub-Saharan countries by preparing the next generation of Africans with STEM lucrative skills for Africa’s workforce.
In addition to STEM, she addresses thematic topics on Social Innovation, Data Science, Youth Development, Entrepreneurship and socio-economic policies. In 2020, Amanda received several awards including the Global Award for Achievement by TechWomen 100 and 30 Under 30 Inspiring Leaders of Africa.

The lucrative jobs of the future required technical competence and 21st century skills that she didn’t have. Nigeria began to transfer major Resources and job opportunities to skilled professionals and expatriates due to a lack of competent and domestic STEM workforce. Seeing this economic disparity, she began to research on new labour market skills that youths like her can successfully thrive in. She got an opportunity to be trained by IBM in Business Intelligence/Analytics after 8 months. Upon completion, she took the initiative to serve as a knowledge panel in preparing Africans with 21st-century skills and future-focused options for an emerging workforce.
This was her inspiration, her driving force to starting STEMi Makers Africa.

Her advice to women is for them to be open to learning from women’s stories. Shared experiences from women who have existing businesses and start-ups can pave a lasting way for women who are about to launch their businesses in learning business ethics and challenges encountered.

Amanda urges women to not focus only on hearing the success sides or accomplishments of others  but strive to know the challenges, setbacks and hurdles they encountered. As this can help them overcome futuristic and business tendencies to failure.

She encourages women to feel free to network, attend business seminars (virtually or in-person), and most importantly, get a business mentor who is accessible. Someone they can always feel free to ask questions or give them that business support or counsel they may need.

Amanda Obidike serves as a Mentor in the New York Academy of Science, Cherie Blair Foundation, the 1 million Women in Tech, Global thinkers for Women where she lends her voice, knowledge, and serve as a role model to girls in Africa.

She currently serves on the Leadership Team of the 500 Women Scientists, USA and Trustee Board of the MAI Foundation.

The African Women in Technology (AWIT) Conference is making its debut in Nigeria this month.

The African Women in Technology (AWIT) is a network of African women who are creatively redefining the technology space in Africa and becoming key players and trendsetters in the World’s creative and innovative industries.

Founded by Anie Akpe, it has become a platform for technological advancement in Africa and beyond. The AWIT conference is scheduled to hold at Zone Tech Park in Lagos on March 29 and 30, 2019.

It is a yearly conference that brings together stakeholders and trendsetters in technological advancement around the world, with the spotlight on African women in technology both at home and in Diaspora.

The platform serves as a vehicle to push forward innovative ideas and encourage African women to step forward and get involved in the technological development of the continent, while providing support to propel their careers. It is a space to learn, unlearn and relearn relevant practices and acceptable business tools that will ensure success in their chosen professions.

Serving as a platform of inclusivity for all women in the African Technology Space, this two-day conference will provide an opportunity for extensive networking among women at diverse stages of their careers. Participants will learn, exchange ideas, interact with industry experts, and have the opportunity to speak with representatives of various tech companies, synergize, get insight on problems in African technology, and propose applicable solutions to these problems.

Heralding the launch of the third industrial revolution and the evolution of technology, digitisation has become a prominent part of our daily lives, thereby making technology indispensible. This conference will serve as a landmark event for recognising the available opportunities and mapping out strategies on how to grow as African women in technology.

Aptly themed: The Techazon Within You, the conference conveyers have expressed excitement about how much the AWIT network has positively impacted the lives of African women who are getting involved in the advancement of their technology sector and promoting growth in their communities, while advancing their career growth in the process.

This is why to further aid this developmental process, the conference boasts of insightful sessions like Tech Trends, Upgrade Your Skills, Cyber Security, Internet of Things, and other creative sessions that will serve to awaken the techazon within the participants and spur them unto greater professional breakthroughs.

As part of the networking session at the conference, participants will stand the chance to get group mentoring that will be sustained even after the conference, find internships and employment opportunities, meet people in their local communities who share the same interests and take advantage of the fast, affordable and reliable financing available at the conference.

Application to attend the conference is totally free of charge as all intending participants can now apply and reserve their seats by registering on the AWIT website.

Zone Tech Park is a Technology Park located in Gbagada Industrial Scheme, Lagos, which serves as a free co-working space for start-ups with an in-house engineering team of over 20 software developers and designers, legal, finance, marketing and fundraising teams. It was established by The Workforce Group, which is rated as Nigeria’s leading Human Resource Company, according to Business Insider Sub-Saharan Africa.

Since 2016, the African Women in Technology conference has held in Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique and the United States, and has impacted the lives of over 1000 participating women. Since its inception, the conference has also received notable partnerships and sponsorship from Google, Flutterwave, Renmoney, Ibom LLC, Innov8tiv, ABAN Angels and other private bodies.

Source: Guardian

 

 

Dr Hadiyah-Nicole Green is the recent winner of $1.1 million grant from the Veterans Affairs’ Office of Research & Development to begin clinical trials to further develop a technology she’s pioneered that uses laser-activated nanoparticles to treat cancer.

Here are 8 things you should know about Dr Hadiyah-Nicole Green.

1.Green was orphaned at a young age and raised by her aunt and uncle in St. Louis Missouri

2.She attended Alabama A&M University with a full scholarship, where she studied physics and earned her bachelor’s degree in physics and optics in 2003.

3.Green continued her education at the University of Alabama Birmingham with another full scholarship, where she earned her Masters Degree in physics in 2009 and her PhD in Physics in 2012.

4.Green lost both her guardians to cancer during her undergraduate days.

5.Green was a member of a team that developed a laboratory method to insert nanoparticles into cancer cells while avoiding surrounding healthy cells in USA.

6.In 2016, Green became an assistant professor at Morehouse School of Medicine in Physiology department.

7.She received a $1.1 million grant from the Veterans Affairs’ Office of Research & Development to begin clinical trials.

8.Dr Green created the technology that kills cancer cells with a treatment using laser-activated nanoparticles.

 

 

Source: fabwoman.ng

The Kenyan government has announced its plan to develop mobile phones manufactured in the country.

(Photo: NPR)

The government, according to Kenya’s minister of information, communication and technology, Joe Mucheru, is putting aside one billion shillings ($10 million) to help local startups working in the mobile telephone software and hardware industry.

The move, he said, was aimed at bolstering manufacturing and making phones that are “suitable for our markets”, with the added benefit of driving the prices of phones down. The minister expressed concern at the fact that the country imports 50 million mobile phones every two years.

As it stands, technology is one of the fastest growing sectors in the Kenyan economy: almost 98% of the population has access to a mobile phone and mobile services like M-Pesa, operated by Safaricom, achieving almost nationwide penetration.

(Photo: Biznews)

According to analysis by QZ, it may prove difficult for the Kenyan government to win with their line of smartphones:

“Despite this, developing phones locally and making them attractive to consumers will be a difficult task. Chinese handset maker Transsion Holdings will also prove a serious challenge for any Kenyan brand: using its research centers in Kenya and Nigeria and factories in Ethiopia, the Shenzhen-based company produces phones in and for the continent, some as cheap as $10.

And as the company gears up to provide more features in affordable prices in the coming years, it is expected to drive both smartphone and feature phone uptake—proving that Kenya’s dream project will be easier said than done.”

 

Source: thatbluebook.com

Photo credit: google.com