Bridgette Avolonto

Pioneered tech inclusion for African women through innovative entrepreneurship programs

Bridgette Avolonto is a Nigerian social entrepreneur and founder of TechHer, a platform that empowers African women to thrive in tech industries. Born in Lagos in 1990, she identified the lack of female representation in Nigeria's booming tech sector and created a movement to address this gap. Through TechHer, she has trained over 5,000 women in coding, digital marketing, and entrepreneurship since 2015. Her organization partners with companies like Andela and Google to provide mentorship and job opportunities. Avolonto's work has been featured in Forbes Africa and the BBC, highlighting her role in increasing female participation in Nigeria's tech workforce from 7% to 22% between 2016-2022. She also pioneered the African Women in Tech Summit, an annual event attracting over 1,000 participants. Her 2020 TEDx talk 'Code the Future: Women in Tech' has garnered 2.3M views globally. Beyond Nigeria, her model has inspired similar initiatives in Kenya and South Africa through her Pan-African program. In 2021, she launched the first female-focused tech incubator in West Africa, helping 80 startups secure $2.1M in funding. Her work intersects technology, gender equality, and economic development, creating ripple effects across multiple sectors.