Diversity in the technology industry allows organisations to consider a wider audience when creating and developing products carefully. As a result, the final product is set to be beneficial to an array of people without any underlying bias. However, there continues to be a shared understanding that more women need to be involved in tech-related disciplines in order to meet the growing need for constant innovation and to build inclusive products.
Women’s participation in the digital world is critical for sustainable development. It serves as a crucial reminder of the enormous potential that digital transformation holds for accelerating gender equality and women’s empowerment. At the same time, it is imperative to note the risk it poses in terms of recurrent patterns that continue amplifying gender inequality.
Moreso, organizations that place diversity and inclusion as core principles are able to build great products enjoyed by many. One such organization in Nigeria is Bolt which has a tradition of supporting the efforts of women in the tech industry. Over the years, Bolt has created female-focused initiatives to empower and drive growth for women. This includes but is not limited to, initiatives to support and empower female drivers on the platform and its yearly Drive4WITech initiative to support young women who want to build a career in technology.
The #Drive4WITech is an internship program designed to give young women in technology equal opportunity and advance gender equality in general in the transportation industry. With this, young women still have access to opportunities in a world dominated by men. This opportunity allows more women in tech to showcase their skills in top organizations like Bolt which has impressive women in top positions like its Regional Manager for West Africa, Ireoluwa Obatoki, and Senior Public Policy Manager for West and Central Africa, Weyinmi Aghadiuno, among others.
In 2020, Bolt presented “Women With Drive,” to celebrate female drivers who are pushing for change and shattering stereotypes in the ride-hailing industry. This group of women demonstrate that driving is not a gender-specific occupation and that it can be a dependable and satisfying source of income for women, adding variety to the Bolt platform.
Over the years, Bolt has continued supporting female drivers on its platform with capacity development initiatives. The leading mobility platform recently held a capacity-building summit on financial independence, leadership, & self-defense among women in Nigeria. This was in line with the commitment to the Nigeria2Equal program with the International Finance Corporation and Bolt’s corporate initiatives to reduce the gender gap in entrepreneurship while building an inclusive society for women that supports overall economic growth.
The 2023 event themed “Promoting Financial Inclusion and Independence for Women”, had Bolt’s female employees and female drivers in attendance, with the guest speaker, Tosin Olaseinde, Founder of Money Africa, to discuss the prospect of closing the financial inclusion gap and promoting financial independence for women.
Weyinmi Aghadiuno while speaking at the event shared the inspiration behind the focus on financial independence. According to her, “We decided to take it a step further by delving beyond tech into the well-being of female entrepreneurs on our platforms and our female employees. After deliberating on the key issues impacting their well-being, we decided to focus the summit on tools to promote financial independence and safety, which tie into the core values of Bolt.”
The summit and the other initiatives indicate Bolt’s focus on supporting and empowering women in Nigeria. The platform has continued to champion increased female participation and leadership in technology and entrepreneurship through its internal and external initiatives.
