Lagos, Nigeria. – 12th November, 2025 –

She Code Africa, a leading nonprofit empowering African women and girls through technology education and access, today announced it has been named a recipient of the Tech for Good Impact Awards from Zendesk, a pioneer in Agentic AI-powered service.

The Tech for Good Impact Awards are an initiative of Zendesk Foundation’s Tech for Good program, which provides nonprofit winners grants and pro bono software. This allows nonprofits around the world to scale impact in their communities, promote resilience in times of crisis, and help create career pathways into the tech industry. The program currently partners with nearly 110 organizations and has donated over $50 million in product since 2018.

“At She Code Africa, our mission has always been to make access possible for young women and girls across Africa,” said Ada Nduka Oyom, Founder and Executive Director of She Code Africa. “This recognition from Zendesk strengthens our ability to scale our impact by helping more women gain the skills and resources they need to transform their futures and communities.Zendesk AI Agents will provide our organization a robust support system to manage queries, streamline learner engagement, and improve the overall participant experience needed.”

“Our Impact Awards recognize, amplify, and equip changemakers with our leading AI-powered technology and vital financial resources to create a lasting, positive change in their communities,” said Dr. Tiph Turpin, vice president of global communications and social impact, and president, Zendesk Foundation. “This program is important to us because technology, when aligned with purpose, has the power to expedite the work of organizations tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges.”

To learn more about how She Code Africa and Zendesk are working together to expand digital inclusion and empower the next generation of women in tech, visit shecodeafrica.org For more information about the Tech For Good Impact Awards, visit here.

About She Code Africa

She Code Africa (SCA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating and empowering young girls and women in technology across Africa. Since 2016, SCA has provided access to technical training, mentorship, and career development opportunities to over 60,000 women and girls across 30 African countries. Through its programs, including the SCA Academy, Stem-A-Girl, the Laptop Scholarship, and the Digital Literacy Program, She Code Africa is bridging the digital gender gap and building an inclusive tech ecosystem for African women.

About Zendesk

Zendesk powers exceptional service for every person on the planet. As a leader in AI-powered service, we offer the Zendesk Resolution Platform, designed to redefine customer experience with advanced tools that integrate AI Agents, a comprehensive knowledge graph, actions and integrations, governance and control, measurement and insights, and human expertise. Our purpose-built platform enhances service by combining automation and human insight for seamless interactions. Easy to use, easy to scale, and easy to get value from, Zendesk helps companies strengthen relationships, improve efficiency, and grow. Learn more at www.zendesk.com.

Media Contact:

media@shecodeafrica.org

She Code Africa Recognized as an Impact Award Winner by Zendesk Foundation’s Tech for Good Program was originally published in Nur: The She Code Africa Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Favour Eniojukan takes us on a powerful journey from uncertainty and self-doubt to building a fulfilling career as a Product Manager. And it all began with one bold decision: applying to the She Code Africa Academy.

Don’t be scared to keep trying; that career goal you want, you can get it! — Favour Eniojukan

From marketing and customer service to a thriving career in product management, Favour shares how She Code Africa helped her rebuild her confidence and unlock a future she never imagined possible.

My name is Favour Eniojukan. I’m from Kogi State, but I live in Lagos now. I’m single, have two amazing siblings, and hold a degree in Agriculture from the University of Ilorin. Before I found tech, I had worked across different roles in marketing, customer service, and operations. These experiences deepened my understanding of business operations and ultimately led me to realize my passion for tech and pursue a career as a Product Manager.

I remember the exact moment She Code Africa changed everything. At the time, I was transitioning into tech but had already begun to give up. The uncertainty, the lack of direction, it all felt overwhelming. Then one day, a friend sent me the application link to the She Code Africa Academy program (FedEx). I hesitated at first. I didn’t even complete the form immediately; it took me three days because the questions were intense and felt so intentional, like they were really trying to find people who were ready for this journey, and I was ready.

When I got into the Academy, I braced myself for another typical online program, pre-recorded videos, hundreds of participants, and little support. But what I found was the complete opposite. We had live sessions. We had instructors who knew us by name. It was personal, interactive, and powerful. The structure, the community, the mentorship; everything exceeded my expectations.

What stood out the most was the intentionality. Our Product Management facilitator, Mitchelle Adamu, didn’t just teach us skills; she showed us what it meant to lead, to speak with clarity, to think critically. Those sessions were game changers for me.

One of the best things She Code Africa did was remove the barrier of access. I wasn’t working at the time, and buying data would have been a real struggle but they provided data stipends. That might seem like a small thing, but for someone like me at that point in life, it made all the difference. It meant I didn’t have to choose between showing up for class and affording daily essentials. It meant someone believed I deserved a shot, and that shot paid off.

After the Academy and because of my success, I was selected for a paid internship with She Code Africa itself. That experience deepened everything I had learned, gave me confidence and made me feel like I truly belonged in tech. Following Mitchelle’s advice, I enrolled in additional bootcamps, stayed consistent with my job applications, and kept learning.

Four months after completing the She Code Africa program, I landed a one-year paid internship at a fintech company with the possibility of being converted to full-time staff. Six months into the internship, I received a full-time offer from another fintech company. My current employer didn’t want to let me go; they even tried to match the offer. Eventually, I moved on, but before I left, they asked me to recommend someone from the She Code Africa network “just like me.” That moment speaks volumes about the value the Academy instilled in me.

She Code Africa didn’t just teach me product management. It gave me my career. It gave me confidence. It helped me reimagine who I could be. Now, I’m working as a Product Manager at Traction Apps — Omnipay, earning above the minimum wage and building solutions that make a real difference. Looking back, it’s almost hard to believe how much has changed. I went from feeling lost and ready to quit to becoming a full-time product manager who is valued, trusted, and fulfilled.

To any woman out there, sitting on the edge of a decision, wondering if she belongs in tech, listen to me: “ Many are called, but few are chosen. The She Code Africa Academy gives you the tools to be one of the few. Take it seriously, it can change your life.”

Don’t be scared to keep trying. That career goal you’re chasing, you can get it.

Thank you, She Code Africa.

Favour’s story is a reminder that sometimes, all you need is a little support and the right opportunity to see what’s possible. She took a chance on herself — and it changed everything.

From almost giving up to now thriving in a career she once only dreamed of, she’s proof that growth takes time, but it’s always worth it. And for any woman out there still trying to find her way, Favour’s words say it best:

Don’t be scared to keep trying. That career goal you’re chasing, you can get it.

From Doubt to Determination: How Favour Eniojukan Found Her Confidence and Career in Tech was originally published in Nur: The She Code Africa Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

We’re incredibly proud to share that She Code Africa has been selected as one of the global grantees of the 2025 HP Digital Equity Accelerator; a global initiative by HP Inc. and the HP Foundation empowering nonprofits building bold, scalable solutions that advance digital equity in underserved communities. bridging the digital divide through tech access and education.

As one of just eight organizations chosen worldwide, we’ll receive six-figure grant funding, HP technology solutions, and six months of intensive expert training, mentorship, and access to global collaboration opportunities.

What this means for us:

• We’ll be piloting scalable training programs for low-connectivity communities
• Expanding access to tech tools and curriculum for underrepresented African women and girls
• Strengthening our operational infrastructure and storytelling capabilities
• Co-creating with HP to highlight our model on the global stage

This partnership amplifies our ongoing mission to empower thousands of African women and girls with technical skills, resources, and community support, creating pathways to meaningful careers in technology. Through this partnership, She Code Africa will deepen its work across low-connectivity and underserved communities, piloting innovative training programs, expanding tech tool access, and building capacity to reach even more women and girls.

This recognition by HP and the HP Foundation comes at a critical time, as a $1 trillion global digital divide continues to block billions from education and economic participation. The Accelerator seeks to bridge that gap by supporting visionary organizations like She Code Africa already building solutions.

Our team joins an inspiring cohort of high impact nonprofits from Greece, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Spain, all focused on driving equitable digital transformation in their communities. This is a major milestone for us and a big recognition of our impact. We’re incredibly excited for what lies ahead and grateful to have you with us on this journey.

The next chapter of She Code Africa is here, and it’s powered by innovation, equity, and impact.

Read more about the HP Digital Equity Accelerator Here.

She Code Africa Joins 2025 HP Digital Equity Accelerator! was originally published in Nur: The She Code Africa Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Introduction

The Made in Nigeria Hackathon, in partnership with She Code Africa, was a 4-week project aimed at empowering Nigerian women to create, contribute to, and own open-source projects. It was themed HERtoberfest in honor of the annual global Hacktoberfest with a focus on Nigerian women.

The hackathon ran from October 5–30, 2024, and included a series of webinars, and expert-led workshops to support participants in building impactful open-source projects. This included topics such as licensing, community building, and leveraging tools like GitHub CoPilot, all led by industry experts. Hackathon brief can be found here: Notion page

In the final stage, teams presented their projects in a finalist presentation event, where the top three teams were selected as winners. Projects were judged based on their global relevance, innovation and creativity, technical implementation, and the presentation style.

Goals and Objectives

• Empower Nigerian women to be active contributors and builders in Open Source
• Increase female participation in Open source projects
• Grow the Open source community in Nigeria

Application and Participation Distribution

• 461 applications from Africa (Senegal, Benin, Rwanda, Kenya, Rwanda, Cameroon, Algeria, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Niger and Burundi)
• 444 applications from Nigeria
• 256 participants
• 38 finalists
• 10 final projects
• 1 winner, 4 runner ups

Team and Stakeholders

Project team

• MaryBlessing Okolie — Project Manager
• Onyemowo Akwubo — Project Admin
• Precious Okafor — Project Admin

Partners

• Made in Nigeria — Lead partner and sponsor
• CHAOSS Africa — community partner; provided mentors, judges and facilitators for the hackathon

Facilitators and Judges

• Adewale Abati — Project sponsor and Judge
• Enoch Kaxada — Speaker, “Understanding and Choosing Your Project License” webinar
• Ifihan Olusheye — Speaker, “Building with CoPilot” webinar
• Thulisile Sibanda — Facilitator, finalist workshop on “Understanding the Role of Community in your Project”
• Adeyinka Oresanya — Judge
• Anita Ihuman — Judge

Program Overview

This section provides a detailed breakdown of the program’s structure, including key milestones and timelines, which were instrumental in achieving its goals.

Timeline

Target audience

She Code Africa is dedicated to empowering African women and girls. But for this program in partnership with Made in Nigeria, it was tailored to Nigerian women only.

Made in Nigeria is a community of Nigerian developers who are passionate about building open source tools and resources for the rest of the world.

Criteria

We set a criterion for the program, and it was broken down into 3 phases:

Participation:

• To participate, individuals expressed their interest by filling out an online form
• All participants who indicated interest were invited to join a Slack channel for further communication and collaboration

Finalist Selection:

A virtual elimination round was conducted based on a People’s Choice voting system, utilising GitHub stars to determine the top 10 projects.

Judging Criteria:

The final winners were selected based on the following criteria:

1. Global Relevance: The project’s potential impact on a global scale
2. Innovation and Creativity: The originality and uniqueness of the project idea
3. Technical Implementation: The quality of the project’s technical implementation
4. Presentation: The clarity and effectiveness of the project presentation

Events and Activities

We wanted participants to feel prepared and equipped for the building phase of the program, so we organised webinars touching on key topics and a ‘Ask me Anything’ session to help participants with blockers they have.

Workshop: Building with Copilot with Ifihanagbara Olusheye

This workshop was focused on empowering the hackers with technical knowledge to easily and effectively build on GitHub’s AI ‘Copilot.’ Considering how short the build phase of the hackathon was, utilising AI tools like GitHub Copilot could increase productivity and reduce the time spent on building

Webinar: Understanding and Choosing your Open-Source Licensing with Enoch Kaxada

As part of the program requirements, all projects were mandated to be open-sourced. To ensure clarity and compliance to open source principles, a webinar on open source licensing was conducted. The session covered the basics of open source licences, their implications, and how to select the most appropriate licence for a specific project.

Finalist webinar: Understanding the role of community in your project with Thulie Sibanda

A strong community is the backbone of any successful open-source project. This webinar was conducted to equip hackathon finalists with the skills and knowledge to build vibrant and sustainable communities around their projects.

Attendance: Each webinar for all participants attracted an average range of 15–30 participants.

Webinar content: Hackers found each webinar useful and insightful both for the program need and personal career need

Overall satisfaction: Each webinar received an average of 3.8 of 5 satisfaction rate

Project Presentation Event

The event kicked off with a warm welcome from our project admin, Mowo. Following this, finalists presented their innovative projects.

Our esteemed panel of judges engaged with the presenters, asking thought-provoking questions to assess the projects’ technical depth, innovation, and potential impact. Our project admin, Precious made sure both presenters and judges stuck to time and judging was done using a rubric created by the project team.

We then engaged in a little social mixer to help participants network with other builders not a member of their team. It was a great experience as participants shared their stories and bonded with each other and wrapped up with final words from judges and a closing remark from the project manager, Maryblessing.

Watch the recap here: https://www.youtube.com/live/2TWR2M-F6Rs?si=Zq8lQfy2KX0PnPL_

Program Feedback

We worked with the hackathon winners to get their experience participating in an open source hackathon and as you might have guessed, for some, this is their first experience in such a program.

We’re happy to have been a huge part of these ladies’ journey and giving them that platform to showcase their skills. Watch the video on our YouTube here: https://youtu.be/8uSBoYxl3QE

Achievements

Increased open-source awareness: The hackathon created an awareness about open-source in Nigeria. The awareness enlightened community members about Hacktoberfest, the ease of contributing to, as well as creating their own open-source projects that can be used to impact the Nigerian tech ecosystem.

Strong Participation: The hackathon attracted a good number of participants for a maiden edition of the program (Open-source focused Hackathon), attracting ladies in Nigeria as well as international participants with over 10% of participants present in webinars hosted for the hackathon.

Organized communication channel: To keep things organised and tightly coupled to the SCA community, participants in the SCA community were asked to join a channel for the Hackathon and non-SCA members were sent invites to join the community’s Slack channel as guests. This streamlined the onboarding process, maximizing the time for participants to focus more on their hackathon projects.

Weekly check-ins and information dissemination: There was active check-in with participants twice a week, to monitor progress, identify challenges, and provide a channel for participants to communicate issues to the project team.

Participant support session: The project team organised an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session, providing participants with a dedicated platform to address their questions, challenges, and concerns. The session saw a high turnout, and focusing on participants’ issues and inquiries helped bring clarity and resolution, enhancing their experience and supporting their progress in the hackathon.

Educational value and skill development: The hackathon featured workshops centered around the open-source ecosystem which helped participants to learn valuable skills in open-source development, contribution and collaboration. The workshops provided practical insights that participants found helpful for their projects and broadened their understanding of open-source development.

Seamless project submission and voting process: The use of Google Forms for project submission and GitHub for public voting provided a seamless, transparent process, making it easy for non-participants to engage and support their preferred projects.

Community impact: The hackathon fostered a sense of empowerment among participants as most of them came to the realisation that not only could they just contribute to open-source projects, but they could also build their own open-source projects. The judging criterion of global relevance also expanded the scope of their projects inspiring them to think beyond local impact.

In conclusion

The HERtoberfest maiden edition was a success and a significant milestone for us at She Code Africa. The program was well-received by individuals and it was a good learning experience for both the participants and the team.

This has set the tone for similar programs in the future, and we’re excited about leveraging the lessons learned to create even more impactful experiences for participants.

Project Overview: SCA x Made in Nigeria HERtoberfest was originally published in Nur: The She Code Africa Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

At the start of 2023, Maryblessing Okolie, our community manager, just joined SCA as the new community associate.

In her words, “I am honoured to be writing this piece announcing our new community associate, Oluwaseun.”

She will work alongside members of the community team to continue creating a safe space for African women in tech, engaging with the She Code Africa community members of over thirty thousand women, and planning and executing community engagement strategies to increase participation and retention of members.

MaryBlessing Okolie, our Community Manager had a chat with Oluwaseun, and below is the result of the conversation.

Meet Oluwaseun, the Community Connector

Oluwaseun has had a varied career path, starting as a Project Manager at a tech startup. From there, she moved into Community Management, working for a leading financial institution in Nigeria and volunteering as the Social Media Manager for Google Developer Group, Lagos. These experiences have taught her a lot about unlearning, relearning, and finding new ways to contribute personally and professionally.

If her life were a movie, it would be a coming-of-age comedy-drama.

“I have had a lot of ups and downs, but I’ve always tried to find the humor in life,” she said.

She’s a Community Connector because her friends said so.

Hear how Oluwaseun got into the Community Industry

Her Journey

My journey into community management began when I secured my first tech job through a nonprofit organization specifically promoting females in STEM. This experience inspired me to give back and help others, so I decided to pursue a career in community management.

What are you most looking forward to achieving in your new position?

I’m excited to use my skills to make a positive impact on the community. I want to help bridge the gender gap in STEM by providing opportunities and resources for women in the field.

Hobbies and fun facts

I love teaching and volunteering. One fun fact about me is that I’m a huge fan of K-dramas

Oluwaseun said if she were a superhero, she would first travel the world. She has always wanted to explore different cultures and experience new things.

Oh well, we can’t wait to see all the incredible things Oluwaseun does and the impact it will have on our community.

Please give her a warm welcome after reading this 👏👏

PS: we need to ban all K-drama fans. 😄

She Code Africa Welcomes A New Community Associate was originally published in Nur: The She Code Africa Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

As the African proverb goes, “It takes a village to raise a child”, in our case, bringing together this dream team of accomplished leaders will not only help us amplify our impact, and expand our reach, but also guarantee us creating a continuous sustainable future for women and young girls in STEM across the African continent.

This milestone represents a significant achievement for us, and we take pride in assembling top leaders across the Industry who are aligned with our vision and mission. The board members. bring a wealth of experience and expertise in technology, business, and social impact to which we believe will guide She Code Africa’s mission of closing the gender gap in STEM.

We’re on a path to empowering 100,000 African girls and women with digital skills by 2030, and to achieve this, we need the strategic input and stellar advice of experts in the industry hence the need to set up the board,” says Ada Nduka Oyom, Founder and Executive Director of She Code Africa.

The members of the board are some of the top industry leaders and experts who bring together a wealth of experience in their individual sectors and together, we look forward to making a more lasting impact for African girls and women in tech.

Introducing Our Advisory Board Members

Olumide Balogun

Olumide Balogun serves as the Director of Google West Africa, where he spearheads the company’s strategic growth and expansion in the region. With strong conviction, Olumide champions the notion that technology serves as a pivotal catalyst for the economic growth of any nation.

He also leads Google’s Africa strategy with a vision to deliver the most helpful technology tools, to enable and unlock economic opportunity for people, businesses, and partners across the continent.

Jane Egerton-Idehen

Jane Egerton-Idehen is a tech executive, author and angel investor. She is currently the MD/CEO, Nigerian Communications Satellite Ltd. (NIGCOMSAT). NIGCOMSAT Ltd owns and operates the Nigerian Communications Satellite systems. She was previously the Head of Sales, the Middle East and Africa, Meta (Facebook). Prior to that, she was the Country Manager, Nigeria, and the Regional Sales Director for the West African branch of Avanti Communications Group Plc, a British communication company with a fleet of satellites in space.

She has worked in various roles from technical, sales and management in the telecommunication infrastructure giant Ericsson. She also worked as a cluster lead for Nokia Siemens Network in West Africa.

Mojolaoluwa Aderemi-Makinde

Mojolaoluwa Aderemi-Makinde brings a wealth of experience leading strategy, marketing, sales, and partnerships across diverse multinational organisations. Currently, she leverages her expertise as the CEO of. Bricks Digital, a boutique consultancy empowering entrepreneurs to thrive in the digital age.

Previously, Jola served as Head of Brand and Reputation for Google Sub-Saharan Africa. In this role, she spearheaded initiatives driving economic opportunity in Africa, focusing on entrepreneurship, job creation, and education. She has a proven track record of performing strategic consulting, charting strategic plans and managing large-scale initiatives from inception to scale and sustainability. She has led multi-million-dollar sales teams, guiding clients across industries through digital transformation journeys.

Akintunde Sultan

Akintunde Sultan is the Co-founder and CTO of AltSchool Africa; an Edtech startup currently active in 16 African countries, and Head of Technologies TalentQL. AltSchool Africa is an alternative school that provides an online learning experience for students in Africa coupled with live classes.

Odunayo Eweniyi

Odunayo Eweniyi is the Co-founder & Chief Operations Officer of PiggyVest, Nigeria’s largest digital savings and micro-investment platform – the platform has more than 4.5 million users. In January 2021, Odunayo co-founded First Check Africa, a preseed/seed fund that invests in high-growth tech startups with at least one female co-founder.

In 2020, She co-founded The Feminist Coalition, a group of young Nigerian feminists who work to promote equality for women in Nigerian society, with a core focus on education, financial freedom and representation in public office. She is a board member at Village Capital, the most active supporter of impact-driven, seed-stage entrepreneurs in the world. She’s a 2023 One Young World Entrepreneur of the Year winner.

Aniedi Udo-Obong

Aniedi Udo-Obong is an Experienced Program Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the technology industry. Skilled in Management, Networking, Software Development, Start-ups, and Project Management. Strong program and project management professional with a Bachelor of Engineering focused in Electrical/Electronics Engineering.

Chuka Ofili

Chuka Ofili is a software architect and engineer with experience in product architecture, design, devOps, and full-stack development roles. He is currently the Founder of Interstellar Labs, a software development company and Studiopedia a production company leveraging technology to help educators and creatives produce and distribute digital content globally. He served as Chief Product Officer at Flutterwave, a payments company Unlocking boundless payment opportunities for enterprises, individuals, small businesses, emerging markets, and startups alike and was also previously an engineering lead within the new product experimentation team at Meta.

Chuka is also a Google Developer Expert, Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect and a tech Mentor in the Google for Startups program.

Oluwatosin Olaseinde

Oluwatosin Olaseinde is a highly experienced chartered accountant with a decade of expertise in accounting, auditing, taxation, and corporate finance. She is also the Founder/CEO of Money Africa, an innovative ed-tech platform designed to equip over 200,000 individuals with financialliteracy and investment skills using technology. Her deep understanding of financial literacy has driven her to create an ecosystem of financially literate individuals through her platform.

Her passion for developing a platform that provides Millennials and Gen Z equal access to wealth accumulation techniques led to the creation of Money Africa and Ladda.

Daniel Chinagozi

Daniel Chinagozi is the Founder and CEO of Innovation Growth Hub a Startup, Business, Technology and Creative Incubation Hub that provides mentorship, Support services, Community and Cowork Spaces to early growth Startup with Headquarters in Aba, and offices in Onitsha, Lagos, Umuahia Nigeria. He is also the CEO of PalmNet Consult Ltd. An Enterprise development, training and consulting firm that provides training and support services to businesses across Africa.

He is also the Founder of Capacity Development International a career development firm working across Africa.

A New Chapter For She Code Africa

As we embark on this new chapter with our Advisory Board, we are confident that together, we will create a lasting impact on our mission of Empowering women and girls in STEM across Africa. We look forward to leveraging their expertise, guidance, and support to drive our mission forward and make a difference in the lives of thousands of African women and girls.

Thank you to our Advisory Board members for believing in our vision and mission. We are honored to have you on board and look forward to working together to create a brighter future for African women and girls in tech.

Join the Movement

Be part of this journey to empower the next generation of women tech leaders by donating to She Code Africa. Visit our website at www.shecodeafrica.org/donate to learn more and contribute.

Stay updated on our progress and learn more about She Code Africa’s initiatives via our social media pages on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube, or our blog.

Introducing She Code Africa’s Maiden Advisory Board was originally published in Nur: The She Code Africa Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. – Helen Keller

Another partnership alert as She Code Africa and GitRoll partner up, a union that we believe will add to the revolutionizing the tech in Africa! This collaboration is a significant step towards empowering more women in tech, once again, providing opportunities, and validating the skills of talented Women developers across the African continent.

About She Code Africa

She Code Africa is a registered non-profit organization dedicated to empowering girls and women in tech across Africa with STEM skills and improving their career paths through training, workshops, scholarships, work opportunities, events, and more.

With an impressive active community platform of over 50,000 African women in tech, She Code Africa is the largest women-in-tech community in Africa, spanning over 20 Africa=n countries, with local chapters in 30 cities and tertiary campuses across Kenya, Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, and Cameroon.

GitRoll, Your Progress Tracker & Skill Validator

GitRoll is an AI-powered coding portfolio manager that helps thousands of developers demonstrate real technical software skills while eliminating tests, bias, and trivia. This partnership will enable our community members to better prove their expertise and experience

As a cutting-edge platform, Gitroll enables developers to:

• Track Progress: Monitor coding ability and growth with a comprehensive progress tracker.
• Validate Skills: Gain recognition for your skills through data-driven assessments.
• Showcase Talent: Highlight your capabilities to potential employers with confidence.
• Scan Your GitRoll Portfolio Now gitroll.io

Another Success Story, Another Win, Goals for the Future

Hikmah Yousuph, a Software Developer in the She Code Africa community, has become a beneficiary and has been hired as a developer at Gitroll through this partnership. This is just the beginning!

We are taking another step towards empowering more women in Africa to pursue and excel in their tech careers, with our latest partner, Gitroll.

Access To Opportunities Today

Are you a developer looking to validate your skills and track your progress? Or an employer seeking top talent? We invite you to explore GitRoll and all its amazing benefits.

Join the Movement

Be part of this journey to empower the next generation of women tech leaders by donating to She Code Africa. Visit our website at www.shecodeafrica.org to learn more and contribute.

Stay updated on our progress and learn more about She Code Africa’s initiatives via our social media pages on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, or our blog.

She Code Africa x GitRoll – Empowering Women in Tech Across Africa was originally published in Nur: The She Code Africa Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Take a step with us into a future where African women and girls are empowered to shape the tech industry. She Code Africa and Zoho Corporation are joining forces to make this vision a reality.

As we always say, She Code Africa is on a mission to bridge the gender gap in tech in Africa. To us, it’s not just about the numbers, it’s about ensuring that women and young girls across Africa have access to resources and opportunities and making the most of them. This, in turn, allows them to pay it forward and empower more African women and young girls in the tech industry.

That’s what counts.

That’s why we’re joining forces with Zoho to empower 30 women with the skills, confidence, and support they need to succeed in tech. We’re talking cutting-edge training, mentorship, and lots more!

The Power of Partnership

Zoho Corporation is an Indian multinational technology company that makes computer software and web-based business tools. It is best known for its online office suite offering Zoho Office Suite.

This partnership embodies the power of collaboration which is only possible when organizations who believe in the push for diversity and including work together towards a common goal “Empowering African Women and Young Girls”.

Right now, with this partnership, we’re training 30 women in cutting-edge tech skills, providing mentorship, support, and access to the latest technologies and by 2030, we hope to have surpassed our goal to empower 100,000 women and young girls across Africa.

This again, is what counts.

The Opportunity

Through this partnership, we’re offering a 3-day train-the-trainer workshop on Zoho Creator, a low-code app development platform with drag-and-drop capabilities and a visual app-building approach that empowers citizen developers.

This opportunity will be open to 30 selected ladies in the She Code Africa Community who will be provided with not just this training but also the skills and confidence they need to excel in their chosen career fields.

By the end of this workshop, we‘re optimistic that these beneficiaries will be equipped to train and inspire other African women and young girls in their community, creating a ripple effect of innovation and growth. Our goal is to create a network of empowered women who can pay it forward and inspire others to pursue careers in tech.

What to Expect

Cutting-Edge Tech Skills

• Master low-code app development with Zoho Creator
• Develop problem-solving skills and logical thinking

Mentorship and Support

• Guidance from experienced trainers and experts
• Personalized feedback and coaching
• Collaborative learning environment

Access to Zoho Technologies

• Hands-on experience with Zoho Creator’s latest features
• -Exposure to emerging trends and innovations in low-code development

Community of Like-Minded Women

• Networking opportunities with fellow participants
• Building relationships and connections with peers
• Being part of a supportive community that encourages growth

Expanding Your Career Prospects

• Level up your resume with cutting-edge skills
• Increase your confidence in tech skills
• Open up new career paths and advancement opportunities

Other Benefits

• Access to exclusive resources and tools
• Opportunities for future collaborations and projects
• A sense of accomplishment and pride in your new skills!

Application Process

Following our partnership announcement, we invite you to stay tuned for updates on the application process of which we will carefully review applications and select the top 30 candidates based on the some of the following criteria:

• Gender (Female only).
• Citizenship (Africans only).
• Age Range (18–45 years old).
• Membership (She Code Africa Community).
• Commitment to the program.

Join the Movement

Be part of this journey to empower the next generation of women tech leaders by donating to She Code Africa. Visit our website at www.shecodeafrica.org to learn more and contribute.

Stay updated on our progress and learn more about She Code Africa’s initiatives via our social media pages on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, or our blog.

Another Step Ahead: She Code Africa Partners with Zoho Corporation was originally published in Nur: The She Code Africa Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

It’s official! The She Code Africa (SCA) Academy Program has launched its inaugural cohort! Sponsored by FedEx, we onboarded 100 African women on the 1st of April, 2024 with 1 goal — to empower them with relevant technical skills through comprehensive education and mentorship.

In today’s world, where digital skills are a passport to life-changing opportunities, SCA commits to helping women gain the technical competence they need to maximise these opportunities.

The onboarding event marked the start of the journey for the selected 100 African women. The event was not just for introductions and instructions. It was a space for them to connect, share their stories, and build a strong foundation of support as they embark on their journeys to learn.

Joining the participants were the facilitators and a special guest from FedEx — Natasha Parmanand, Managing Director of Operations for Sub-Saharan Africa — who delivered a speech, emphasising FedEx’s commitment to empowering women in tech.

Why the Academy Program?

Despite making up nearly half the global workforce, women are vastly outnumbered in STEM. The representation of women in tech is less than 3 in 10 people, dipping even lower for African women. This gap persists for many reasons, especially limited access to training and opportunities in STEM fields.

In 2023, the Founder of She Code Africa, Ada Nduka Oyom, announced the organisation’s commitment to reach 100,000 women and girls by 2030 at the annual SCA summit. At the time, the organisation had already reached over 40,000 women through various initiatives, including training programs, scholarships, meetups, and other initiatives. The academy program is one more step in this direction.

About the SCA Academy Program

The She Code Africa Academy Program is a 12-week intensive learning experience meticulously designed to equip participants with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to succeed in the tech ecosystem.

Through training in Frontend Development, Backend Development, Product Design, and Product Management, participants receive technical tutoring, career mentoring, and access to resources to accelerate their careers in tech.

Following announcements in the media, we kicked off our application stage, which ran from February 26, 2024, through March 8, 2024. After carefully reviewing over 1700 applications from across the continent, we selected the top 100 candidates who will be participating in this program. The selection process was guided by the following criteria:

1. Gender, Citizenship, and Location: Applicants must identify as women or girls from African countries living on the continent.
2. Age Range: Applicants must fall within the age range of 18–45 years old.
3. Skill Level: Preference was given to applicants who are beginners or novices in their chosen tech tracks, to ensure equal opportunities for all participants and true impact.
4. Membership: Candidates must be members of the She Code Africa Community.
5. Proof of Learning: Applicants must demonstrate learning efforts in their chosen tech field.
6. Commitment: Candidates must commit to the entire 12-week course duration and be available for monthly check-in calls.
7. Possession of Learning Materials: Participants are required to possess a working laptop and maintain consistent internet connectivity throughout the program’s duration.

The rigorous selection process was put in place to ensure that only those who would truly benefit from and commit to the program were selected. Our selected participants hail from diverse corners of the continent, including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Uganda, Namibia, and Egypt. Congratulations to everyone who made it through!

Meet the Facilitators

To ensure an exceptional learning experience and empower participants with the most relevant knowledge, we’ve assembled a team of experienced facilitators.

• Elizabeth Meshioye is a Web developer at Workshop Orange. She takes the helm as the facilitator for the Frontend Development learning track.
• Chidinma Ukaegbu is a Product Designer at MyCover.ai and guides the participants through the Product Design learning track.
• Mitchelle Adamu is a Product Manager at SeamlessHR and leads the Product Management learning track.
• Simi Oluwatomi is the Technical Lead and Backend Developer at Brass, He brings his expertise to the Backend Development learning track.

At the onboarding event, Natasha and Ada emphasised the program’s rigorous nature, encouraging participants to remain dedicated, seek assistance, and be intentional about meeting the graduation criteria.

The program will last for 11 more weeks, and during this time, each participant will engage in 60+ hours of learning, complete 10+ hands-on assignments, and take two major assessments. They will also write an article and complete a final project. Throughout the program, the team and facilitators will provide support.

We’re excited to follow these amazing women and girls on their tech journeys!

Stay updated on their progress and learn more about She Code Africa’s initiatives via our social media pages on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube, or our blog.

You can also be a part of empowering the next generation of women tech leaders by donating to She Code Africa. Visit our website at www.shecodeafrica.org to learn more and contribute.

100 Women, 1 Goal: She Code Africa Academy Takes Off! was originally published in Nur: The She Code Africa Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

A while back, I had a task where I was required to create an API for a ride-sharing application. I initially built it using Node.js, Express.js, MongoDB, and TypeScript but later decided to create the same backend on another branch using Django. During this process, I encountered a crucial aspect: managing permissions. In this article, I will compare how Django and Express.js handle permissions differently.

Introduction

Permission is essential for the building of the backend and APIs of an application, ensuring security and integrity. Permissions are checked before the code they manifest in is authorized to run.

In Django, permissions are created through the use of the permission class while in Express.js, it is done mostly through middleware or simple functions.

Permissions in Django

Django, the framework for perfectionists, has a lot of built-in classes assigned to views that take the load off developers, making web development easier and faster. Permissions in Django Rest Framework come in two ways: built-in and custom.

Built-in Permissions:

• IsAuthenticated: Only authenticated users (logged-in users) have access.
• IsAdminUser: Only admin or superusers are allowed access.
• IsAuthenticatedOrReadOnly: Grants read-only access to unauthenticated users, while authenticated users can modify data.

Here’s an example of how IsAuthenticated is used:

from rest_framework import permissions, generics

class GetAllRidesAPI (generics.ListAPIView):
    queryset = DriverRide.objects.all()
    serializer_class = DriverRideSerializer
    permission_classes = [permissions.IsAuthenticated,]

In the code above, users can get all the rides available as long as they are authenticated. In cases where they are not, an error message will instead be returned, depicting what the user should do.

Custom Permissions:

In cases where the built-in permissions don’t meet your specific requirements, Django allows you to create custom permissions. custom permission gives the flexibility to create permissions the way you want.

To create a custom permission in Django Rest Framework, you need to create a permissions.py file:

from rest_framework import permissions
from vehicle.models import Vehicle

class HasVehicle(permissions.BasePermission):
    """
    Check if the driver has a vehicle
    """

    def has_permission(self, request, view):
        try:
            vehicle = Vehicle.objects.get(driver=request.user)
            return True
        except Vehicle.DoesNotExist:
            self.message = "Driver need a vehicle before creating a ride."
            return False

The HasVehicle permission class above checks if the user (the driver) has a vehicle in the database before allowing them to create a ride. This custom permission can be used in conjunction with built-in permissions.

This can be seen in the view for creating a new ride:

from rest_framework import generics, permissions
from ..models import DriverRide
from .serializers import DriverRideSerializer
from .permissions import HasVehicle

class CreateRideAPI (generics.CreateAPIView):
    queryset = DriverRide.objects.all()
    serializer_class = DriverRideSerializer
    permission_classes = [permissions.IsAuthenticated, HasVehicle,]

Permissions in Express.js

Unlike Django’s ready-made solutions, Express.js provides flexibility and requires developers to implement permissions using middlewares.

Middleware

Middleware functions in Express.js have access to the request and response objects and act as middlemen between incoming HTTP requests and outgoing responses.

For instance, let’s create a middleware to check if a driver has a vehicle before creating a ride:

const isDriver = (req, res, next) => {
const driverVehicle = await Vehicle.findOne({ driver: req.user?.id });

  if (!driverVehicle) {
    return res
      .status(404)
      .json({ message: "Driver need a vehicle before creating a ride" });
  }

  next();
};

The middleware is placed in the route like this:

import { createRide } from "../controllers/driverRideController";
import { verifyToken } from "../middlewares/authMiddleware";

...
app.post("/create-ride", isDriver, createRide);

Express.js allows you to use multiple middlewares for a route, either by listing them directly in the route definition or by nesting one middleware within another.

Pros and Cons

Let’s briefly explore the advantages and disadvantages of each framework:

Django:

Pros:

• Django’s built-in functionalities reduce the workload for developers.
• It has a great security system already set up.
• Enables fast and scalable applications.
• The documentation is excellently detailed and easy to understand.
• It has great community support.

Cons:

• Can be seen as rigid due to all the built-in functionalities.
• It is more convenient for large and complex applications than small-scale projects.
• It is very vast and can be cumbersome for new developers.

Express.js:

Pros:

• Easy to learn and use.
• Provides flexibility and control over applications.
• Lightweight and fast.
• Great community support.
• Allows easy integration of libraries.

Cons:

• Lack of built-in features
• May require more structure for larger projects.
• Primarily suited for small to medium-sized applications.

Conclusion

Django and Express.js are both powerful frameworks for creating APIs. Choosing between them depends on your project’s needs and your development preferences.

Managing permissions effectively is crucial in web development in order to enhance security, protect sensitive data, and provide a seamless user experience. Whether you prefer Django’s built-in approach or Express.js’s flexibility, both frameworks offer robust solutions for handling permissions in your web applications.

Permissions in Python and JavaScript: A Django and Node.js Express Comparison was originally published in Nur: The She Code Africa Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.