By Anna Fridman
Digi-Equal Africa is a platform dedicated to empowering African women in technology to share their expertise and become visible role models for young women and girls. Created under the Coalition for Digital Equality (CODE), a global network working collaboratively to bridge the digital gender divide in Africa, the initiative was officially launched on 22 October 2025. The online launch event brought together women from academia, the tech industry, and the social innovation sector and featured insights from Dr. Winfred Onyas (University of Leicester School of Business), Eunice Baguma Ball (Ishango.ai and ATBN), Larisa Akrofie (Mastercard Foundation), July Andraous (Jambaar Capital), and Faith Oyepeju (Elenasy), with Nancy Masila (Jasiri Network) as the moderator. Together, through their presentations and panel discussion, they explored pathways to advance digital equality and offered a gender-aware perspective on mentorship as a tool for empowerment and inclusion.
Watch the full discussion and read our key takeways below.
Importance of Female Role Models
One of the key challenges in bridging the gender gap, as highlighted by Dr. Winfred Onyas, lies in the lack of visibility of female role models in technology. Dr. Onyas, whose research explores gender inequalities in the African digital space and how different actors navigate barriers to participation, drew on her work with CODE, which gathered insights from policymakers, businesses, digital hubs, and academics in Uganda and Ghana. She noted that the limited visibility of women in tech reinforces the perception that STEM is “for men”, discouraging girls from pursuing these learning paths.
The underrepresentation of women in STEM is further aggravated by the fact that many successful women in tech remain largely disconnected from girls and young professionals, depriving them of access to female role models who could encourage them to join the sector.
Even when they do enter the technology sector, the lack of role models makes it difficult for women to advance in their careers, or succeed in business. Faith Oyepeju recounted her early experiences and setbacks when she transitioned from a career in communications into tech and how having a mentor helped her push through the challenges.
The discussion underscored the importance of creating opportunities for women in tech to connect and share experiences across sectors, professional backgrounds, and roles. Mentorship can serve as one of the most effective ways to build these connections, helping women navigate challenges, learn from failure, and grow together.
Demystifying Mentorship
The discussion went on to highlight some of the barriers holding women back from mentoring. It was noted that many professional women struggle with imposter syndrome that prevents them from sharing their knowledge and experience, often perceiving themselves as lacking noteworthy achievements to share or undervaluing the insights they’ve gained from past experiences.
The speakers sought to debunk the myth that one has to have achieved a certain level of success to be a mentor. Eunice Baguma Ball noted: “You do not need to have the most experience or be at the top to be a mentor" As a mentor, you may not have all the answers, but you can support your mentee to explore challenges and find solutions alongside them. Sharing setbacks and moments of confusion can be just as valuable as sharing successes, supporting learning, career navigation, and relationship-building. As Larisa Akrofie concluded, the most valuable contribution a mentor can make is to: “Create a safe space where a person feels comfortable asking questions, taking risks, and trying new things”.
A Flexible Approach to Mentorship
The panelists, drawing on their experiences as both mentors and mentees, underscored that mentorship should not be understood solely as a formal, hierarchical relationship. Rather, informal mentorship can enhance accessibility for both mentors and mentees, while fostering trust and cultivating authentic professional connections. July Andraous, reflecting on her experience of re-establishing her career after relocating to another country, observed that informal mentorship helped her to navigate a new ecosystem: “When someone asks formally to be a mentor, people can say no because it’s too much pressure. She adds that "Magic happens when we understand that everyone has something to teach”.
While Larisa Akrofie observed: “A common misconception is that mentorship must be structured. That approach excludes many people, especially those who cannot follow a rigid model. Sometimes individuals do not need a strategy session, but someone with whom they can share their feelings, help them recover from rejection, and receive encouragement— a friend reminding them to try again, rather than giving career advice”. Other speakers supported this perspective, noting that a flexible approach to the mentorship process can help build trust, overcome existing gender and cultural barriers, and create space to discuss failures and uncertainties.
Empowering Women in Tech as Mentors
Empowering women in tech as mentors is crucial to bridging the digital gender divide. Mentorship can serve as a powerful tool to empower women to advance in tech careers and inspire girls to pursue STEM pathways. To overcome the gender and cultural barriers that often prevent women from becoming mentors, a more flexible approach to mentorship is essential. This alternative vision emphasizes the creation of equal, horizontal relationships, where all participants can learn from one another, fostering trust and cultivating safe spaces to practice leadership.
The Digi-Equal Africa platform (developed by the University of Leicester and ATBN in partnership with Co-Catalyst and Ishango.ai) aims to build a movement of African women in tech mentors, connecting them to opportunities to share their expertise and amplify their visibility, driving a more inclusive digital sector. Join the movement by becoming a mentor, registering your organisation or becoming a partner.