Three young entrepreneurs join presidential forum as panellists

US President Barack Obama (L) takes part in a panel discussion with youthful entrepreneurs that included Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta (not pictured) as Judith Owigat- Co-founder of Akirachix listens on at the opening of the Global Enterpreneurship Summit on July 25, 2015 on the first day of Obama's two-day state visit in Kenya. AFP PHOTO

What you need to know:

  • Sandwiched between US President Barack Obama and President Uhuru Kenyatta, Owigar explained how Akirachix – an IT training centre for women – was slowly revolutionising the world of technology.
  • The training programme targets young women from the slums of Nairobi, who are taken though a one-year training programme in technology and entrepreneurship.
  • Among the beneficiaries of the programme is Agnes Masia who, after the one-year training, went on to work as a technology researcher at a tech company and opened a shop where she has employed her brother.

As US President Barack Obama officially launched the 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Summit, three young entrepreneurs joined him on stage as panellists at the prestigious event.

Among them was a Kenyan woman, Ms Judith Owigar, the co-founder of Akirachix.

The 30-year-old social entrepreneur was at the centre of global attention as she talked at length about her organisation.

Sandwiched between US President Barack Obama and President Uhuru Kenyatta, Owigar explained how Akirachix – an IT training centre for women – was slowly revolutionising the world of technology.

“Technology is one of the fastest growing sectors in Kenya, yet women are greatly under-represented. I am working to nurture generations of women who use technology to impact their communities and create solutions,” she said.

Akirachix was founded by a group of 12 women in 2010, among them Judith Owigar, Angela Oduor, Linda Kamau and Marie Githinji. The women, who were all fresh IT graduates, met at the iHub after they realised how under-represented women were in the tech world. They got together to form Akirachix with the aim of encouraging more women to take an interest in technology.

“We wanted to create a community where women can come together, work on different solutions and share knowledge. We thought we should start a programme and train young women who would not ordinarily consider a career in technology and who would not have an opportunity to do so,” she says.

The training programme targets young women from the slums of Nairobi, who are taken though a one-year training programme in technology and entrepreneurship.

The women are taught basic computer programming and graphic design among other selected technology courses. Afterwards, the young women are linked with jobs in the tech world or start their businesses.

Among the beneficiaries of the programme is Agnes Masia who, after the one-year training, went on to work as a technology researcher at a tech company and opened a shop where she has employed her brother.

“We want to change communities, one woman at a time, using technology,” says Judith.

But it has not always been smooth for Judith and her colleagues, who started out on a rough path that required them to knock on many doors seeking donor funding to run their activities.

The organisation has since received donor funding from organisations such as Google and partnered with institutions such as Institute of Software Technologies so as to issue their beneficiaries with internationally respected credentials.

Prior to starting Akirachix, Judith worked as a support specialist at Turnkey Africa, a developer at Ibdid Labs, and the Japanese Centre for Conflict Prevention (JCCP).