Aderonke Busayo Sakpere

General Info

What will be your most valuable contribution to your TechWomen mentorship?

I consider organizational and creative skills as one of my greatest strengths. I have demonstrated this in various roles to organize programs such as seminar presentations and general well-being lectures. During my stay at the host company, I can organize a talk that covers various projects I am involved in that addresses developmental problems in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Global South in general. As the founder of the Tech Girls Club, I am continually involved in proposal and grant writing to seek partnership and fund for our projects. My writing experience can be beneficial to my mentor as we can jointly write grants and proposals together.

The Top Three Things I Would Like to Learn or Experience During my Mentorship

1. Data analytics and machine learning.
2. The use of AI techniques, UI/UX tools and design methodologies to solve developmental problems.
3. Public Speaking and commercialization of technology artifacts.

Mentorship Characteristic

• Visit an office or attend a site-visit
• Identify workshops or certificate programs to further my learning after the program has ended
• Focus on leadership skills building
• Expand on a project that I’m working on in my current role at home
• Identify a short-term project I can work on at the partnering company

Ideal Company Type

In 15 years of my working experience, I have had the opportunity to have leading figures in academia and research mentor me. The mentorship I have received from them has indeed helped my career as an academic and researcher. However, I have not been privileged to be mentored by an industry professional. This has created a gap in helping me bring a balance to my teaching and research skills. I believe that the TechWomen mentorship program will help me bridge this gap. In particular, I am interested in working with UI/UX, AI and data analytics industry that would further help me hone my HCI and data science skills.

What are three adjectives that best describe you in the work place?

1. Empathetic
2. Innovative
3. Curious

What impact will your mentorship have on your career and professional path?

Participation in the TechWomen program will connect me to industry-based mentors and would help me acquire more insight to further my research in developing solutions for developmental issues in resource constrained environment i.e., industry-ready and relevant. In addition, it would further expose me to new methods and technologies used in the industry, thereby strengthening me to be able to teach in a more practical and balanced way. TechWomen will further widen my network and provide a connection that I can leverage on even after my 1-year program. Further, I am keen to understand how government policies are influenced through advocacy.

After participating in the TechWomen program, how will you leverage your mentorship experience to make an impact in your home country?

The outcome of my experience at the TechWomen program will further empower my mentoring skills for community development in Nigeria and Africa at large and help to localize international expertise to solve local problems. Programs such as hackathon and boot camp would be organized to bridge university learning and solving problems within society, thereby influencing policy development in growing economies such as in Sub–Saharan Africa. In addition, I would be better equipped to expand our new STEM summer camp program that focuses on high school students through my new TechWomen network and industry collaboration.

Work History

Years of Full-time Work Experience

15

Primary Professional Focus

• HCI/UX/UI
• IT systems and/or data analysis
• Scientist and researcher

Education History