Bolutife Awakan Helps More Than 1,500 African Women Build Careers in Technology

For Bolutife Awakan, getting women into technology is only the beginning. The bigger challenge is helping them turn digital skills into real careers, income and opportunities.

That idea is at the centre of Lilac Africa, the organisation Awakan co-founded to help African women develop practical technology skills and navigate the pathways that can follow training.

Since launching in 2024, Lilac Africa has trained more than 1,500 women across Africa and provided more than 100 fully sponsored places in its four-month nanodegree programme.

The organisation has also secured a ₦10 million grant after reaching the finals of Standard Chartered’s Women in Tech competition, providing additional resources to expand its training and mentorship programmes.

Awakan’s work is built around a challenge that can easily be overlooked in conversations about digital inclusion: completing a technology course does not automatically translate into employment, entrepreneurship or long-term participation in the industry.

For women in particular, barriers can continue after training, including limited access to mentorship, professional networks, practical experience and opportunities to apply their skills.

Lilac Africa therefore combines technology education with scholarships, mentorship and community support, seeking to help women move from learning into the workplace and wider technology ecosystem.

The approach places emphasis on what happens after the certificate.

Women are given opportunities to develop practical skills while connecting with mentors and peers who can help them navigate the professional environment and identify pathways for applying what they have learned.

Awakan’s experience in the design and technology space has also shaped her approach. She is the founding partner of Design Lever Inc., where she works with African businesses on design and its role in business growth.

The recent ₦10 million grant from Standard Chartered is expected to support the expansion of Lilac Africa’s nanodegree cohorts and strengthen the mentorship and community components of the programme.

For the women participating, the value of the programme ultimately extends beyond the number trained. The longer-term question is whether those women can use their skills to access jobs, build businesses, earn income and take on greater roles within Africa’s growing digital economy.

As technology continues to reshape work across the continent, Awakan’s work highlights the importance of building stronger bridges between digital education and economic opportunity.

For Lilac Africa, training is therefore not the finish line. It is the starting point for helping more African women participate meaningfully in technology and build careers around the skills they acquire.