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Andela is a story of different people from all over the world coming together to solve a problem. It is a company that identifies and develops software developers. The company launched operations in Nigeria in 2014, to help global companies overcome the severe shortage of skilled software developers and has offices in Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and the United States. Today, the organization has employed over 1200 developers.

Over time there has been a shortage of females in STEM fields, with several initiatives such as Ladies-in-Tech and Tech-in-Pink to solve the problem. Compared to global standard of 6%, Andela has a 21% female developer ratio and they still do more. By consciously creating an inclusive environment for women to succeed, Andela shows its support for women in tech. Today, we will be celebrating these 5 female developers not because they are one the best in their field alone but because we see their work and they’ve gone on to keep been consistent at what they do.

FEYI OLABIYI

Feyi Olabiyi joined Andela in April 2017 as a Product Manager. Her journey into technology was out of curiosity. She was introduced to the internet at an Information Management course Post-Secondary school which led to her choice in Information and Communications Technology for a university degree.

After a brief stint in Software Development, she crossed into Product Management. For her, coming up with creative solutions that improve people’s lives is central to her work and with technology, the opportunities are limitless. Speaking on working in Andela, she says:

… having co-workers who are building amazing tech one minute, and bantering about football the next minute, or having a rooftop jam session, or challenging you to intelligent discourse, is really priceless.
-Feyi Olabiyi

OMOTAYO MADEIN

Omotayo Madein is a Senior Developer at Andela and started working there in March 2018. Her journey into tech started with her Bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering which was partly due to her parent’s encouragement in her earlier years and her curiosity. For her, the Andela community gives her the opportunity to design solutions for challenges across different domains and collaborate with brilliant people, which keeps her motivated.

TEMIDAYO YEMBRA

Temidayo Yembra joined Andela in August 2018 as a Technical Success Manager. She stumbled into Computer Science as her major when she worked on a Java program and discovered a missing semicolon was all it took for her code not to compile. For her, interacting with people in different roles, in various parts of the world, with diverse backgrounds as well as the people and culture of Andela her favorite things about Andela.

VICTORIA OFFOMA

Victoria Offoma is a Simulations Facilitator that joined Andela in April 2017.She started her journey in tech from her background in Computer Science from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka which was born from a childhood fascination with computers inspired by movies. Then, she attended a training organized by CcHUB and Microsoft on technologies like C#, ASP.NET, Azure etc. After that, she got an internship at a startup company as a Software Developer. For her, the constant self-improvement, and the retelling of the African story are some of the things that keeps her motivated in her job.

BUKOLA MAKINWA

Bukola Makinwa’s tech journey started from a swift change of course to Computer Science where bagged her Bachelor’s degree at Babcock University. Thereafter, she attended a training at Swap Space Systems where she expanded her knowledge about web development and game development. She later went on to work in Swap Space and then volunteer in October 2015 at Andela before joining the company full time in November 2015. Today, she is an Engineering Manager within the Apprenticeship Space.

For her, she loves her job because she can work in different roles – ideas hub, a project manager, a people manager, an implementer and a learner all at the same time. Bukola sees Andela as a movement that provides hope for Africa on many fronts as well as changing the mindset and mental model the world has of Africans.

I hope their story and background inspires you. Share with me what you think about it.

Source:

Andela

Featured Image Source: Andela

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This article was first published on 29th August 2019

aanu-olajide

Aanuoluwapo Olajide is a freelance writer who believes that words are fundamental blocks and are the force of life and death. She is a tech enthusiast, fashion designer and a lover of words.