5 reasons technology world needs more geek girls

Part of complete coverage on

By Teo Kermeliotis and Jessica Ellis, CNN

updated 6:55 AM EDT, Wed March 26, 2014 |

Tech entrepreneur Regina Agyare

Tech entrepreneur Regina Agyare

Tech entrepreneur Regina Agyare

Tech entrepreneur Regina Agyare

Tech entrepreneur Regina Agyare

Tech entrepreneur Regina Agyare

Tech entrepreneur Regina Agyare

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Regina Agyare is a leading technology entrepreneur from GhanaHer startup, Soronko Solutions, creates websites and e-commerce portalsAgyare has also started an initiative teaching young girls in poor areas how to codeHere, she discusses why there should be more women working in tech

Every week, African Start-Up follows entrepreneurs in various countries across the learn the factshere now continent to see how they are working to make their business dreams become reality.

(CNN) -- "It was like taking a big leap of faith."

That's how Regina Agyare describes her decision back in 2012 to leave her well-paid job at a majorinternational bank in Ghana's capital Accra to follow her dream and embark on her ownentrepreneurial journey. Having worked for six years as the bank's only female IT specialist, Agyarequit everything to create Soronko Solutions, a software development company.

"My friends thought I was crazy," recalls Agyare. "But I was like, 'this is it!'"

One of Ghana's first female tech entrepreneurs, Agyare had to overcome many challenges in startingher business -- beginning with breaking the gender barrier in her country.

"As an African woman, the role is you go to school, you get a job, you marry," says Agyare, whosestartup is now building corporate websites and e-commerce portals for more than 30 businesses inAccra. "Entrepreneurship is not something that you are taught so I never saw myself as an

entrepreneur."

Last summer, out of a passion to pass on her expertise, Agyare co-founded "Tech Needs Girls," amentorship and educational initiative aiming to encourage young women to pursue a career intechnology. Along with other female computer scientists, she makes time to visit places like Nima, aslum right in the heart of Accra, to teach girls how to code and develop mobile and web applications.

CNN's African Start-Up caught up with Agyare to talk about her initiative and discuss the reasonswhy there should be more women in technology. Here's what she said.

Improving technical innovation: "Currently we are missing out on valuable perspectives that 50% ofthe population can bring to designing the technology of the future. Research shows that diversityimproves problem solving, productivity, innovation and ultimately the bottom line -- we need thefemale perspective in technology."

Reducing social inequalities: "Computing jobs are among the fastest growing and the highest paying,yet few women are benefiting from these occupations. This trend increases social inequalities andbarriers to girls' future life opportunities. Girls need to have technology skills in order to thrive inthe 21st century as more than 95% of all jobs have a digital component."

I found technology to be very lonely since I was always the only female in the IT department.Regina Agyare, Soronko Solutions

Teaching girls leadership skills and critical thinking: "By learning to create technology girls learn tospeak up since they have to explain their work; they must stand tall in order to be taken seriously inthis male-dominated field. The process of writing software is essentially solving a problem usingcritical thinking and a series of steps. The girls also get to express their creativity through theirsoftware designs."

Stopping the workforce exit: "More than half (56%) of women in technology leave their employers atthe mid-level point in their careers (10-20 years). Some describe themselves as lone wolves.Personally I found technology to be very lonely since I was always the only female in the ITdepartment."

The numbers say it all: "In the United States, women hold less than 25% of science, technology,engineering and math (STEM) jobs. In the UK, women now make up 46% of the country's workforce,but hold only 15.5% of the STEM jobs -- this excludes medicine, which has a high representation ofwomen. Each year the number of women studying and pursuing careers in technology goes down by0.5% thus by 2043 at the current trend less sources tell me than 1% of the global tech workforce willbe female."

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http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/26/tech/5-reasons-tech-needs-geek-girls/