Women Who Build Africa, a community that brings together women and non-binary people working in or around the tech space, has officially launched. Its first event, Women in Crypto, will be held simultaneously in Ghana and Kenya on Thursday, 22 September.
The event is open to all genders with a simple goal of engaging women in the space, says its co-founders Gwera Kiwana, Crypto founder in residence at MFS Africa, and Thea Sokolowski, head of marketing at Stitch. The Women in Crypto event is held in partnership with Yellow Card and MFS Africa.
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They explain that Women Who Build Africa strives to create an intentional space where members can meet, share what they’re building, give and receive feedback, find mentors, investors, employees, employers and more.
“The idea for Women Who Build Africa came out of multiple conversations Gwera and I had over and over with women in our network, many of whom confirmed there really isn’t a space that exists where we can come together to intentionally talk about our experience building in the tech sector,” says Sokolowski.
“There’s a lot that can be gained from just voicing shared experiences, getting feedback or ideas from other women and potentially meeting someone that’s been in your shoes. We wanted to enable that in a big way. The response so far has shown how big the need for this is.”
Kiwana adds that they’re excited to partner with leading builders in the space who share their mission to create “more thoughtful experiences for an intentional community of underrepresented members of Africa’s tech sector.”
The dual-city Women in Crypto event is billed as a “first of its kind.” It will take place at Front Back Osu in Accra, Ghana, in partnership with Yellow Card, and at Jenga Leo in Nairobi, Kenya, in partnership with MFS Africa. The events will include a fireside chat with experts in Africa’s crypto ecosystem, hosted by Yellow Card’s Alice Tomdio and Kiwana herself.
Those working in the crypto space as well as the “crypto-curious” can register online to attend.
So far, Women Who Build Africa has hosted events in Nairobi and Cape Town, with a growing community across the continent and the Diaspora. Interested members can sign up for updates here. Businesses interested in partnering with the community can email info@womenwhobuild.africa.
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