The world is changing at lightning speed as technology reshapes industries. Jobs are becoming more digital, and the economies of different continents are shifting. Regina Honu understands this should be good news for Africa, as the digital revolution could unlock millions of opportunities- especially for women.
However, the gender gap in Africa’s ICT sector has been narrowing, with women now making up 41.3% of the workforce, while men account for 58.7% as of 2023. Although this marks a step toward inclusivity, the industry remains male-dominated. If women do not claim their space now, they risk being shut out of the future of expanding technology.
Regina Honu, a tech evangelist and IT professional, believes that tech needs girls. For over 13 years, she has been pushing to have more girls in technology through her organisation, Soronko Academy. So far, Honu has collaborated with over 45,000 sponsors and partners to organise over 50 training programs to bring Ghanaian ladies closer to STEM fields.
Regina Honu finds purpose.
Regina Honu is the Founder and CEO of Soronko Solutions, a software development company and social enterprise that serves local SMEs. Several years after leaving her job as an IT professional in a bank, she founded Ghana’s first coding and human-centred design school for kids and teens.
Honu wasn’t supposed to be in the tech field herself. If she had followed the path society had carved out for her, she would be sitting in a bank, processing transactions. That stable, prestigious, and well-paying career seemed logical for most people, but that logic and her passion did not align. Rather than settle for the obvious, she made a tough decision and walked away to build something different for Ghanaian women.
The fight for women’s place in tech
After seeing how women were not given a fair shot in technology, Regina Honu built Soronko Academy in 2017 to bridge the gap. Many women were sidelined from technology not because they lacked talent but because they lacked access. No one was teaching them the digital skills they needed to qualify for positions in the tech field, and as such, they remained ignorant.
Soronko Academy is fixing this. The coding school trained over 24,000 women by 2022 and has completed over 50 programs. Its alumni secure jobs within 3 to 6 months; some even launch businesses and employ others.
“I’m currently volunteering the skills I acquired at Soronko Academy to assist SMEs and MSMEs in my space to improve their digital marketing strategies. By the 3rd week of January 2025, I will start my Agri-entrepreneurship blog. This is one of the best decisions I have taken. I’m challenged to work out of my comfort zone.” – Abena Mamle Abedi, Soronko Academy Alumni.
At Soronko Academy, Regina Honu also launched the ‘Tech Needs Girls’ Ghana movement to counter the myth that technology is a man’s world. The movement’s impact is spreading across Ghana and has reached young women in Burkina Faso.
Furthermore, her work has caught the attention of global bodies. She has been listed among CNN’s 12 Women Who Rock STEM and BBC’s 100 Most Inspirational Women. She has also been invited to speak at Harvard, Oxford, and the United Nations.
Through Soronko Academy, Regina Honu is here to ensure that women are not locked out of opportunities in the tech field that could change their lives.
