Weekend Read
If you had told a younger Oluchi Enebeli she would become Nigeria’s first female blockchain engineer, she might have laughed in disbelief. Back then, she was just a mathematics graduate, unsure of her next steps.
Today, Enebeli is at the forefront of Africa’s blockchain revolution. As the founder of Web3Ladies and co-founder of Crevatal, she is shaping the future of Web3 and working to close the gender gap in the industry.
From Mathematics to Blockchain
Enebeli earned a degree in Mathematics from the University of Benin in 2015, hoping to graduate with first-class honours. When that didn’t happen, she was hit hard. The disappointment was so overwhelming that she couldn’t bring herself to go home.
Determined to find a new path, she stayed back in school and stumbled into tech. At first, she thought tech meant desktop publishing and graphic design because blockchain engineering wasn’t even on her radar. She considered networking courses and aimed for a Cisco certification, but financial constraints held her back.
Luckily, her local church organised a WordPress training, and she figured it was worth a shot. That decision left her fascinated with web development, leading to an internship at Crenet Tech Labs in Lagos.
A hackathon that changed everything
While at Crenet Tech Labs, Enebeli heard about a blockchain hackathon. She had no idea what blockchain was at the time, but she was eager to learn. As she dug deeper, she became hooked. She discovered that blockchain wasn’t just about cryptocurrency but a revolutionary tool for transparency, governance, and financial independence.
“There are massive opportunities available; it only makes sense for me to bring others or open the eyes of others to see what the tech can present. Blockchain has a key role to play in the future of tech.” -Oluchi Enebeli, Founder of Web3Ladies.
Between 2017 and 2019, blockchain engineering was virtually unheard of in Nigeria. Most people associated it solely with crypto trading, but Oluchi Enebeli saw a bigger picture.
Blockchain opened doors she never imagined. She attended more hackathons, connected with key industry players, and landed a blockchain engineering role at Sterling Bank. From there, she worked with major global brands like Binance, Crypto.com, and Nestcoin.
“Blockchain opened new doors of opportunities and possibilities for me. As a blockchain engineer, it makes an impact on your finances. It made me more financially literate,” she told Tech Next.
As an intern, her salary jumped from a modest ₦35,000 to a seven-figure paycheck. But beyond the financial success, she had found her purpose.
Web3Ladies: Closing the gender gap in blockchain
As Oluchi Enebeli climbed the ranks, she noticed that women were barely represented in blockchain engineering. In most teams, they made up just 2–5% of the workforce. She knew something had to change. So, in 2021, she founded Web3Ladies, a community dedicated to equipping African women with the skills to thrive in blockchain and Web3. Her goal was to onboard 100,000 African women into the industry.
In 2022 alone, Web3 Ladies trained over 2,000 women through mentorship programs. Many of these participants built real projects, secured job placements, and launched their startups.
“I wanted to break into Web3 but didn’t know where to start. Web3Ladies gave me the knowledge, guidance, and community I needed to excel in this exciting field,” shared Egbu Joy, a software engineer, project manager, and chief product officer at Rubikcon.
The numbers keep growing. Today, Web3Ladies boasts of:
– over 153,890+ members across Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, and Uganda.
– 25+ work tools provided to members.
– 24 projects developed by women in the community.
Web3Ladies is also expanding into universities to introduce young women to blockchain early. The team is launching a talent pool, allowing companies to recruit female blockchain engineers trained by the community directly.
