The Nigerian edtech ecosystem is relatively new. Edtech services surged in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, when schools were closed, affecting about 40 million students, 91 percent of whom are in primary and secondary schools, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Since then, digital solutions have attempted to bridge the gap. Educational technology, or EdTech, is now changing the way education is delivered in the country.

Edtech in Nigeria has seen women take the lead in transforming the sector. These women’s journeys are marked by resilience, innovation and an unwavering commitment to reshaping education through technology, even as they face the challenges of operating in a male-dominated field. Not only are they building successful businesses, but they are also inspiring young girls to pursue careers in STEM.

Here are eight Nigerian women who have defied the odds to thrive in edtech:

Dear Ogundeyi

Honey Ogundeyi is the founder of Edukoya, an edtech startup that provides personalized learning experiences for students. With it, students can also get help with test preparation and homework, a question bank with step-by-step instructions, and personal performance tracking systems.

As of 2023, Edukoya had raised $3.5 million in pre-seed funding. Ogundeyi is also an internet and brand management expert and consultant with experience in banking, internet, telecom, brand management and business consulting. She had worked with several companies before entering edtech.

Before founding Edukoya, she worked with Heirs Alliance, an Associate of the UBA Group, from 2004 to 2006. Later, she worked as a consultant with McKinsey & Company in Brussels and Johannesburg and Ericsson as Head of Brand Management for Sub-Saharan Africa. She later worked with Google as a business manager, leading the development and growth of their commercial business and offering advertising solutions to clients. Ogundeyi was the founding CMO at Kuda and the former country manager of the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub.

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, she attended school at Queens College Yaba before moving out of the country to complete her secondary education at Alexandra College in Dublin, Ireland. She graduated from the University of Birmingham with a BA in Public Policy and Management. She has been recognized by Forbes, World Economic Forum and One Young World, among many others.

Ope Bukola

Ope Bukola is the founder of Kibo School, an online university that provides STEM education for Africans. She is passionate about building technology that improves access to knowledge and well-being. Previously, she led the product team for Google Classroom, was product manager at Amplify Education, and managed partnerships at the CK-12 Foundation. She is a board member of Zeta, a network of high-performing, next-generation schools in the Bronx, New York.

Bukola is also an angel investor and member of Pipeline Angels, an angel network that acts as friends and family for women and fifth grade entrepreneurs who may not already have support at the critical stage. She is the founding board chair of the Black Art Futures Fund, which funds emerging arts organizations that promote and preserve black art and culture. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from New York University.

Read also: How edtech impacts student learning outcomes – Experts

Ada Nduka Oyom

Ada Nduka Oyom is the founder and CEO of She Code Africa, a tech academy empowering over 20,000 women and girls across Africa.

She is also the co-founder of Open-Source Community Africa. Through She Code Africa, Oyom has provided training, mentoring and networking opportunities to women across Africa, helping to bridge the gender gap in the tech industry. She has inspired many women to pursue careers in technology and created a supportive community to help them thrive in the industry. With his technical background and degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Oyom has worked in many different ways.

Before founding She Code Africa, she was the Developer Relations Ecosystem Community Manager at Google and the Developer Relations Lead at Interswitch.

Gloria Ojukwu

Gloria Ojukwu is the founder of HerTechTrail, an edtech that provides tuition-free digital and tech literacy to women to build sustainable tech careers. She is also a technical project manager with extensive knowledge of user experience and software development and hands-on experience building web and mobile applications.

According to Ojukwu, HerTechTrail’s mission is to support, inspire and educate women enough to succeed in technology. Ojukwu holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Niger Delta University and is currently a Senior Product Manager at Organizely.

Bisola Alabi

Bisola Alabi is the founder of Heels n Tech, an academy that trains women in viable tech skills. Her mission with Heels and Tech is to bridge the gender gap in the tech industry, especially in Africa, by offering accessible training programs for women interested in transitioning into tech roles. Heels and Tech offers courses to equip women with practical, in-demand skills in product design, data analytics, UX/UI design, project management and more.

In addition to Heels n Tech, Alabi has over 8 years of experience building startups with a combined portfolio of over $12.5 million. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Obafemi Awolowo University.

Read also: Technology leaders urge women to seize opportunities

Oladiwura Oladepo

Oladiwura Oladepo is the CEO of Tech4Dev and co-founder of Taltrix. Tech4Dev is a non-profit social enterprise that creates access to decent work and entrepreneurship opportunities and platforms for Africans through strengthening digital skills and advocacy.

According to her, her work at Tech4Dev is about “using technology to promote sustainable human capital development in Africa.” She holds a master’s degree in advanced management from the University of Yale.

Blessing Abeng

Blessing Abeng is one of the founders of Ingressive for Good, a non-profit organization founded by Maya Horgan Famodu and Sean Burrowes.

As co-founder, she drives the mission of the edtech nonprofit, which is to create and increase the earning power of youth through technical education and resources for the growth of African startup ecosystems.

In three years, Blessing led the growth of Ingressive for Good from 0 to 250,000 community members, trained over 100,000, placed thousands in jobs, and exclusively led multiple cohorts of women-focused technical education, attracting partners and supporters such as Coursera, DataCamp, Facebook, Figma , Alphabet and a host of others.

Prior to working with Ingressive for Good, Blessing co-founded Disha, a visionary technology startup that caught the attention of an African unicorn, Flutterwave, leading to a successful acquisition. Her expertise and ingenuity as the former CMO of Disha contributed significantly to its growth and success.

She has been honored with numerous accolades, including being recognized as a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, listed among the United Nations’ 100 Most Influential People of African Descent, and recognized as one of Nigeria’s 100 Most Powerful Youth by YNaija. In addition, she has been honored at the UK Africa Achievers Awards and received several other prestigious awards.

Victoria Oladosu

Victoria Oladosu is the founder of Product Hub Africa, an ed-tech company that provides skills and resources to individuals transitioning into technology.

Product Hub Africa was created to achieve a world where Africans are “equally recognized and represented in the technology space.” With a mission to build a community of growth, mentorship, meaningful connections and opportunities, Product Hub Africa offers technology boot camp trainings, accelerator programs, mentoring programs and work placements alongside the STEM-A-SCHOOL initiative for students in Africa.

Oladosu is a data product manager and serial volunteer in several non-profit organizations including Product School and NigerianYouthSDGs. Victoria holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Ilorin in Nigeria and a master’s degree in computer science from the University of East London.