The Female Media Network, TEFEM, is a registered non-governmental organization (NGO) aiming to improve the standard of living of women within the working-class age bracket by empowering them with media-related and digital skills.
Nigeria is a country where women are said to belong only in ‘za oda room’, a metaphor for the bedroom. With such high societal stereotypes, many women feel discouraged about taking up careers in certain industries. A couple of years back, it was rare to find female developers, designers or data analysts.
According to UNESCO, women only occupy 30% of tech professionals across Africa. A ratio that is inherently unbalanced as more females shy away from tech for fear, shame and stereotype.
When asked why she did not want a career in tech, Adaugo Onuoha, a member of the TEFEM community, said,
‘I had always felt like tech was not for ladies. All the tech people I knew were guys. Somehow, I was convinced that tech is not something a woman can do. There was no one to teach me otherwise until I joined TEFEM’.
Adaugo Onuoha, TEFEM Member
Like Adaugo, several ladies have encountered a turning point thanks to organizations like TEFEM.
A New Dawn
The Female Media Network (TEFEM) was founded in 2018 by Eneh Mercy, A brand Identity and User interface designer.
Eneh Mercy’s journey started out while in her third year at the university. As a young woman who has seen many women live beneath their potential, she imagined how empowered more women would feel if they had additional skills that brought them significant financial returns.
Getting into the digital space was quite daunting for Eneh. “The Nigerian tech space was not very encouraging for young ladies then. Many people would look at me strangely when they hear what I do. It didn’t stop me though. I was able to navigate these challenges by seeking guidance from my mentors. I wanted other women to find such support and guidance like I did”, she said.
Eneh Mercy nurtured a core support team of 7 individuals who have contributed to building TEFEM over the years. Today, TEFEM is a registered non-governmental organization (NGO), which is aimed at improving the standard of living of women within the working-class age bracket by empowering them with media-related and digital skills. TEFEM impacts ladies in society by equipping them to take advantage of the opportunities available in technology and digital media and ensuring they stand out wherever they find themselves by remaining valuable and influential.
TEFEM: Raising the Next Generation of Tech Giants
Armed with vision and determination, The Female Media Network (TEFEM) has organised physical training in Enugu, Imo and Akwa Ibom state and digital training with participants across Africa. The training sessions are designed to unlock economic opportunities for ladies by inspiring, training and equipping them with digital tech skills such as web development, graphic design, content creation, digital marketing, etc, and also get these ladies connected to platforms where they can monetize their skills.
Read also: Meet Chisom Nwokwu, the 22-year-old mentor helping others secure tech jobs
To introduce more ladies to on-demand digital skills, TEFEM launched the DigiAfrica Conference, designed to equip women with digital skills and blockchain technology knowledge. DigiAfrica conference is hosted in cities across Nigeria, and this one-of-a-kind conference is set to storm the city of Lagos in November.
Digi Africa Conference Lagos
Themed ‘Building ladies with digital skills in web 3 and blockchain Technology’, DigiAfrica Lagos would empower ladies through inspiring and enlightening talks from powerhouse speakers, network sessions, and career counselling. The conference is designed to introduce and help participants advance their careers in tech and web 3. The conference is free to all. However, slots are limited, and participants need to reserve their seats.
What Next
In 4 years, TEFEM has introduced over 3000 ladies to tech. These ladies are not just taking up careers in tech; many are leading impactful tech projects and are finally taking their position in the tech industry.
“We want to see that African ladies are freed from limiting thought, living up to their potential, leading the tech industry to greater heights, doing exploits and are happy doing all these.”
TEFEM
Read also: A chat with Microsoft’s Adora Nwodo on career, content and teaching
TEFEM hopes to spread her reach across the African continent in the coming years, introducing more ladies to tech and web 3. Indeed, the future of the tech industry is female!
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