First things first, I'm so happy to be on this uh session and the Women Tech Global Conference for 2021. Uh My name is Amanda OBDK and I'm from Lagos Nigeria.I currently serve as the strategy lead for semi makers, Africa, uh semi maker Africa is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, mathematics and innovation. So I will be talking today about uh future focus options and technology hacks to be self reliant for our changing workforce.

But uh first things first, I would like to share a brief story of who I am and what made me delve into technology. So initially, I didn't have any background in uh technology or computer science. I didn't even have a flair for uh gadgets, you know, growing up. But um I read business management in the university as my first degree before going into data science for my master's program. But here is the surprising thing I graduated from the university and um automatically you feel you have this understanding that after graduation, you're going to uh delve into um a good job or a career somewhere. But um the it was the reverse for me it was actually the opposite. I graduated and one month down the line, two months down to nine months, I didn't have any job. But, um, you know, I was depressed in between that time, I was asking myself, why did I have to waste so much time in the university and coming out, I don't have any job, but I realized that jobs were available but it was centered to people who had the skills, people had the technical skills, people who had the technical know how and competence, you know.

So uh I had to, you know, think back and see how I can develop myself after school to position myself for the right opportunities. And fast forward to a year. I got an opportunity to be trained by the IBM on data science. And that was when I realized that there was a turning point, a lot of people do not know that they need to uh focus more on future options for the future. So it's go, it's beyond going to the university reading for a particular degree and all. What about the technical skills? What about the soft skills as little as communication, collaboration and critical thinking above all? So um I would really talk uh I really share technology hacks that we can look into for the future and as women. So um one thing that I would like us to understand that we still have a growing number of underrepresentation of women and girls in technology. And I'm not just speaking from the Nigeria part or the African angle, it's existing even in Asia, in uh Europe in the USA. Now, why is that happening most of time? Most of the time we don't have uh women who are giving girls and uh young body, women into technology, the mentoring the support, whether in career or in academic, we see that happen a lot of times we had this research and we found out that uh six in 10 girls in secondary schools do not actually know what they want.

So a minute, they say they want to delve into law. Another minute, they say they want to delve into medicine or philosophy or something. So they are in short of this, there is no clear direction of what girls can do because they don't have role models or they don't have a support system who can give them this going forward. Now, uh we know, for example, uh technology of the future now is we are talking about robotics, we're talking about artificial intelligence, we're talking about data, we should ask ourselves, do we have the technical competence? Do we have the right people who can help manage these tools that are geared towards the future? Uh We have very little or less. So one of the technology hacks that we should be looking at one is uh collaboration. I will give you an example. So for example, we may have people that are in that field. But you as a person, maybe you could not be a data scientist. For example, you could be a Uuiux developer and all we can actually synergize. We don't see that happen a lot of times in the system. So it's about collaborating, bringing our unique skills together, to help us manage and to help us uh uh streamline this particular uh future hack. Another thing I would like us to talk about is mentoring.

Like I spoke earlier on. Uh a lot of times we have these predictions, we predict uh these tools, we predict what is good going to happen in the future. We predict the deficiency but who are the people who are the drivers, who are the gatekeepers that can help young people know how to channel this particular technology hack for good. We have very few or less of them, which I'm so happy that um you know, the women tech Global Conference and Anna are doing amazing in grooming young women. It doesn't just stop at grooming them, but it should also go towards um giving them the career and academic support that they need. And above all the confidence because we see the marginalization, for example, still existing in um in the work space, we see the existing in organizations, we even see it happening in NP OS and NGO S. So it's high time women, you know, we use these skills. We enlighten, I think that's the word, we start enlighten young people, young women and girls, even allies on understanding how we can gear this technology hacks for good.

Then another thing I would like to talk about as a future focus option to be self reliant is learning most times we don't emphasize that a lot, but learning is one key factor. Good enough. We have quite a lot of courses on the internet. We have uh um we have elearning L MS platforms. We have uh networking programs, we have webinars like this. It's high time, we start availing ourselves and challenging ourselves there. So if, for example, ID wasn't willing to learn after graduating from junior, I would not be where I am today. But good enough, I've been able to use that skill, sensitize young girls and women on the need to position themselves. So it's about being open to learning, being open to learning. I think that's one of the things that I can't stress enough, but I would really encourage everyone to, you know, be in inquisitive in nature. So you hear certain trends or set uh skills. Uh you know, it's something that is really coming up and all I'm not saying you should delve into it, but at least have a basic understanding because you never know where you can apply that skill or that knowledge in your workspace or in your academics. So it's um being open to learning, like I said, and also being open to asking questions. I don't know it all. I'm sure a lot of people in the audience, they may know things that I don't know.

It is about reaching out to them and seeing how we can complement that knowledge together. I would um stop here briefly before I continue. But um I would welcome any question you may have. Uh please feel free to, you know, chime in and I will be happy to address them anybody. OK. Yeah. So I still have um how did you find your first mentor? Yeah. OK. So um I think that was one of the issues I had growing up, I didn't have any mentor and I think that was why there was no clear direction in the first place. You know, because for example, I changed courses three times. You can see how bad it was. But um how I got my first mentor was there is a lady I admire her work on linkedin. She's really vocal, she really shares a lot of hacks. She shares a lot of experience. She shares a lot of tools. She didn't even know that I was um shadowing her when I say shadowing her. I mean, I was always on her page uh reading a lot of things that she was sharing, you know, following her work and all. And she was a mentor because she inspired me, mentors are who you inspire. I know it was not mutual because, you know, we didn't have a conversation together. But her work, I really admired what she was doing.

And in my heart of hearts, I was telling myself, God, I really want to be like this lady. You know, I may not be exactly like her, but I love her passion towards technology and all. And that was how it happened. It took two years before, you know, I had the strength to uh um come up to her and I didn't even know that she was also looking at the work I was doing. And when I sent her a message on linkedin that, oh, please, I would love us to meet and you know, I really admire your work and that was it. And I told her that she was mentoring me. She was giving me this support unknowingly or unconsciously to her. And it was really um inspiring then. But going forward, I have quite a lot of mentors. I will tell you why every person has their unique gifts and attributes that they give. So for example, I may have a money mentor, that person may be really good in financials. I may have um um a spiritual mentor. For example, I may have a career mentor, for example. And that was what I did. I took out different people that I really admire what they are doing in their different uh fields. And according to their capability and you know, they were mentoring me. I, I get to ask them questions randomly, call them, tell them any concern that I may have. And good enough, it has been reciprocal because then it's not just about me asking questions or collecting from them.

They also ask me, they say Amanda, you're in this situation or you have been to in this situation. How did you maneuver this? How did you uh overcome it? And you know, it has now become like a friendship thing because we get to share our stories. And most importantly, these stories are shaping who we are today. So as women, we are our, I should use the word. We are our um motivation, we are superpowers. We never know it all. It's just about, you know, reaching out to the right people who are willing to help you and seeing how, you know, you can channel for uh asking that question. And um yeah, so um in order to wrap up, it's um I just want us to have um a wake up call, I'll say a wake up call because we see women doing amazing things in their fields. But our voices are not being amplified. I just want to encourage us to, you know, go out there, be more vocal, say your work, flaunt your work, you know, because you are not, nobody helps you to tell your story the same way you tell your story. You are the author of your story, you are the writer of your story. So if our work is not out there. How do people know that this is what we're doing? You know. So one future focus option I should, I should talk about.

I'm sorry that these skills I'm talking about is all uh soft skills. Now, soft skills is something that we should be able to develop on our own, you know, but technical skills, you know, it can, we can have AIDS and supports like getting courses from somewhere or networking somewhere and all. So these soft skills have come to stay. We've seen that happen and the chair Industrial Revolution, we are seeing that happen in the fourth industrial revolution. And even if we are moving to another industrial revolution, whether A I is going to be transformed or robotics, these skills are still going to be shaping this particular technical skills. So um I was men I mentioned uh future focus option like uh communication, ability to speak, ability to share your story about what you do, ability to also own up, you know, whatever mistakes or whatever thing you know, you need assistance in. But just letting the right people know and seeing how they can help us in this matter, I have um integrated all these skills fortunately into the work I do.

And it has really um it has really opened a lot of doors that's open of opportunities that expanded my uh nonprofit organization that I have here in uh Africa. You know, because for example, communication it was just through communication that we were able to move from Nigeria that we are in to other 20 countries that we're operating in. So it's just about that synergy, understanding it and knowing how to apply your learning. So um I have five minutes and please, I would love to take any questions that you may have and let's see how we can, you know, support you going forward. Yeah. Thank you, Kendra. Anybody. Yeah. Um Just out of curiosity can I have? Um I know we may not be able to Oh Yeah. Ola, thank you. Do you mentor anyone right now? Uh Yes, I do, I do mentor. I'm a mentor at the New York Academy of Science. But you know, they are secondary school girls. So we have a timetable, you know, because you know, they are in school already. So there are times where they apportion, you know, to me to, you know, uh ask them how studies have been and all. Then I'm also a mentor in the woman, women tech. But um I could also take in a few people. What I usually do is I give them a lot of task, let me not say a lot of tasks, but I give them tasks that you know, that can help shape them.

Then you know, we talk about uh we design a day that we can, you know, talk about it. I share my views on it. It's more like a coaching session where I don't just pour in. I let you own uh you know, that uh particular um session and see how those decisions that you make as at that time can help shape you. So, yeah, I do mentor but I, I welcome, you know, assisting and you know, providing academic and career support to young women. It's about uplifting each other. Yeah, so Nora, thank you so much. Anybody else? Yeah, sorry, I wanted to ask if you don't mind. I wanted to um I see I have 12 people on record but I don't know who and who. So if you can quickly put it on the chat box of um what you do as that's at now, I would love to so that I can, you know, place the name to the uh position. Yeah. So aro prova sorry if I don't pronounce your name. Well, you are asking how did you find the technology you were passionate about? Yeah.

So when I was being uh invited by the IBM to be trained by on an on data science, it was very, very rigorous in the first place because I didn't have a background in computer science to start with. And you know, we had a test. I didn't do so well. But you know, when I went to the IBM, I saw the ambience, I saw how the staff were working. It was like it was another world. So I told my, so it was about a self conviction. I said, no, I'm not, I can't live here without a fight. I need to do best. So when I got started at first, it was tough because then I don't know how to program, I don't know how to code, but it was about a decision. I knew that I can't just stay another month at home without doing something lucrative, you know, and I had to put in that effort. So for example, if I was the person that used to sleep as early as 9 p.m. I know that I have to uh uh uh give two hours of my time to read, you know, for towards the next class. And, you know, when we got started at first, like I said, it was tough, but then I started self developing myself. I wasn't just limiting myself to what they were being, what I was being trained at IBM.

And that was when I started to see how, how business intelligence, data science is the uh future, but it didn't stop there, you know, because ideally after being training, after being trained, sorry, uh a typical person would say, oh, I need to get use this certificate and get a job which a lot of my colleagues did.

But I said a lot of people, young women like me don't have an idea that these skills or this tunities exist. And I said, why don't I create an initiative where I can groom, women and girls, not just only in data science, not only in business intelligence, but other technology options, other uh opportunities in research, other opportunities in engineering, other opportunities in STEM and that was how the journey be began.

But I can tell you for free that it has been a wonderful journey because every day we get to hear testimonies, we get to see that our young girls that are being, that are being trained are using it for the new job or they are either interning somewhere or they're getting opportunities whether in Nigeria or they are having it virtually.

So in all, it's been a beautiful experience. I hope that really uh answers your question. Oh Nora. OK. You test automation developer at Erickson. Wow, that's good. Um OK. All I said she's a self taught junior front end developer working in Berlin. Wow, I really have wonderful people on board, Kendra, a front developer and project manager, Selena A R and D engineer, virtual prototyping or cheer us up, you know, motivate ourselves and all. But I just want you all to know that the future is female one and the future raise into it. Approval. Awesome. Yeah. Thank you all so much. I really do appreciate this. Uh Before I leave in a second, uh do we have any question that you want to ask me personal, you know, on my journey or related to what I've shared? OK. OK. Then I would leave all, all of us and um I hope to connect him with everyone on linkedin or on Twitter and we see how that goes. Thank you, Kendra. Thank you AUA. Thank you Selena. Uh Her, I may not have mentioned Ebora. Uh No, so bye everyone.