Nigeria’s fintech company, Moniepoint, has partnered with Google Developer Group Lagos and Women Techmakers Lagos to equip more women with practical technology and leadership skills as part of efforts to deepen Nigeria’s digital talent pipeline.
The initiative was unveiled during an International Women’s Day event themed “Break the Pattern,” held at Moniepoint’s headquarters in Lagos. The programme brought together women from technical and non-technical backgrounds for leadership sessions, product development training and hands-on software building using artificial intelligence tools.
Speaking at the event, Kemi Nwogu, head of product at Moniepoint, said women must move beyond traditional career limitations and begin shaping the future of the technology industry.
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According to her, many girls are still discouraged from pursuing careers in science and technology because of long-standing stereotypes that portray tech as too difficult or unsuitable for women.
“From a young age, many girls have been subtly discouraged from pursuing science and tech. They are told sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly, that tech is too hard, too technical, or simply not for them. These patterns are not facts, they are constructs. And what has been constructed can be deconstructed! The future of tech needs leaders who build people, not just products, cultures, not just systems,” said Nwogu.
She encouraged participants to build their skills steadily through online learning, coding bootcamps, open-source projects and real-world problem solving, adding that women must connect every learning process to a clear career journey.
The event also featured a panel discussion titled “Unscripted: Leading Beyond the Patterns We Inherited,” where female leaders across fintech, software engineering and creative industries shared experiences on breaking workplace stereotypes and redefining leadership culture within their organisations.
Panelists included Chukwu Adaeze, creative director, CAV Digital; Chinenye Ogbu, customer experience lead, Hydrogen and Motunrayo Koyejo, senior software engineer, Cowrywise.
Beyond discussions, participants also took part in a practical workshop called “Prompt to Production,” facilitated by Taiwo Famakinde. The session introduced attendees to modern product development processes using AI tools, from prompt design and rapid prototyping to deploying working applications.
The workshop later transitioned into a buildathon where participants developed software solutions in real time, with top-performing projects receiving awards.
Funke Olasupo, co-organiser of Women Techmakers Lagos, said the programme was designed to move beyond motivation and provide practical proof that women can build and deploy technology products independently.
She said many participants arrived with little or no product-building experience but left with the confidence to turn ideas into live digital solutions.
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According to her, the programme helped reduce the fear many people have around the fast-changing AI ecosystem and encouraged women to take leadership positions in technology without waiting for ideal conditions.
The initiative forms part of Moniepoint’s wider investment in Nigeria’s technology ecosystem and engineering talent development.
The company said it has continued to support developer communities and youth-focused programmes through collaborations and internal initiatives such as Women in Tech, DreamDevs, HatchDev and the Federal Government’s 3MTT programme.
Industry observers say such collaborations could help close Nigeria’s digital skills gap at a time when demand for software engineers, AI specialists and product developers continues to rise across Africa’s technology sector.
