The Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre (WTEC) says it is committed to bridging the technology gap and strengthening partnerships in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) space.
The External Relations Lead at WTEC, Mr. Adeyemi Odutola, made this known during an interview with reporters on Thursday in Lagos.
WTEC is a non-profit organisation that focuses on empowering women and girls. In its 18 years of existence, the centre has trained over 60,000 women in technology.
Odutola said WTEC is collaborating with experts, government agencies, and other partners to reach a wider audience and penetrate more segments of society.
He added that the organisation has partnered with international tech companies to reach more women.
He also revealed that WTEC is working to incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into its curriculum to align with current realities.
“Our upcoming camps this year will focus on AI. We will teach the girls about AI, job opportunities in the field, and what to look out for,” he said.
Miss Favour Edem, an alumnus of the programme and best participant in 2024, said WTEC is very intentional and committed to delivering quality training and adequate knowledge to its students.
She added that the programme helped her discover her true passion and clear career path.
Another alumnus, Ms. Temitope Olagunju, said participants were trained by qualified facilitators and mentors.
She noted that the training enabled her to perform tasks faster than before, enhanced her research work, and increased her productivity in her field and workplace.
Olagunju added that they were taught how to write business plans, pitch their businesses, and were given opportunities to pitch, along with seed tokens to support their ventures.
She observed that women in tech often face challenges because society generally has low expectations of them in that space.
“I am now more confident to pitch or submit proposals because of the certificates we received. Whenever I present those certificates, it automatically opens doors for me,” she said.
