A lack of competence does not hold back women in technology, but rather a persistent visibility gap, according to Abiola Laseinde, founder of the CIO and C-Suite Awards.
She remarked at a press briefing on Monday, while discussing the gender imbalance that continues to shape recognition and leadership opportunities in Africa’s technology ecosystem.
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Ms Laseinde said the Nigerian-hosted awards were created to spotlight professionals who drive innovation across industries, especially those whose contributions became indispensable during the COVID-19 pandemic. She noted that, although the awards have received entries from at least 15 African countries over the past five years, women remain significantly underrepresented among nominees and recipients.
According to her, the disparity is not a reflection of women’s ability but their reluctance to make themselves visible, network strategically, or nominate themselves for recognition, habits that place them at a disadvantage compared to their male counterparts.
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Networking Clubs
To address this, she launched networking clubs specifically for women in tech, providing them with platforms and opportunities comparable to those enjoyed by their male counterparts in the awards ecosystem.
Ms Laseinde noted that women need to increase their visibility to match their excellence in careers and leadership positions.
“By year two, when we were doing the second year, I noticed that 90% were men. I became restless, and I started asking questions: if these women are doing so well, why are they not putting themselves up? In 2022, I conceived the idea for the Ladies in Tech and Leadership Network.
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“We started it like a dinner club where we invited them to relax, drink wine, eat dinner, and talk freely about why they weren’t nominating themselves. By 2023, we introduced Agents in Tech and Leadership, a no-holds-barred conversation.
Last year, we even took the ladies to Kenya to meet their African counterparts. They really shook the table because women don’t like to put themselves out there, while men walk into a club and start closing deals. We are changing that mindset gradually,” she said.
CIO and C-Suite Awards
The founder of the CIO and C-Suite Awards also shared the inspiration behind the awards, explaining that they were created to recognise the outstanding contributions of technology professionals across industries.
Reflecting on the COVID-19 era, Ms Laseinde emphasised that the technology experts who enabled companies to transition smoothly to remote work deserve recognition, likening them to medical heroes, describing them as unsung contributors often overlooked in celebrations of corporate achievements.
“Early in the days of the pandemic, when there were a lot of casualties, and people were dying, it struck me that while we celebrated medical heroes during Ebola, from the gate men to the professionals who died on duty, nobody was celebrating the tech leaders who kept us safe and connected.
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“We were sitting in the comfort of our homes, but these guys were grinding, some losing their lives silently because COVID-19 had no respect for anyone. There were tech leaders who literally moved into their company’s security operations centres because cybersecurity was at its highest. You would be on Zoom and see all sorts of pornographic things popping up.
“These people were the ones making sure we could function, and even as a company secretary then, I saw how my board struggled because everything had to go digital. It was a burden on my heart, and I kept screaming that it was not fair and that we had to appreciate these people,” she added.
Award growth
Additionally, the convener expressed satisfaction with the growing popularity of the awards, noting that the 2025 edition attracted entries from and recognised technology experts in 15 African countries, citing the past impact and the hospitality showcased during previous ceremonies.
Ms Laseinde added that the awards are increasingly gaining global recognition and revealed plans to host grand ceremonies in other African countries, including South Africa, in the future.
She, however, called on the Nigerian government to invest more in technology infrastructure to enable the country’s technology sector to achieve its full potential.
“Abuja is ripe for a smart city. We have everything: AI, cybersecurity, innovation, but we need public-private partnerships to pivot and amplify it. Why can’t we plug in and experience it live, like creating with AI in real time? Everything is here; we just need to use it.
“Nigeria needs to up its game in technological infrastructure, and our government and Ministry of Digital Economy can do better if we really want to maximise our presence in Africa and the globe,” Ms Laseinde concluded.
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