How women in tech found mentors, community, and career clarity at BuildHers Circle

If you had walked into Zone Tech Park in Gbagada on Thursday evening, you would have witnessed something rare in Nigeria’s tech ecosystem: a room where women were not just networking, they were building real connections that translated into mentorships, career breakthroughs, and genuine community.

And here’s the thing: as a man writing this story, I had an amazing time too. So if you’re a woman who missed BuildHers Circle, you genuinely missed out. But stick around, I’ll paint the picture for you.

Technext’s BuildHers Circle gathered women at different career stages for three hours of raw, honest conversation about what it actually takes to sustain a tech career when the industry still feels overwhelmingly male-dominated.

Superpowers and opening remarks that resonated

Rebecca Edun, an on-air personality at Naija 102.7 FM, set the room’s energy from the jump, asking everyone to write down the superpower they wished they had on paper. The papers were then put in a bowl and passed around. One woman picks a paper randomly, reads the superpower aloud, and then guesses who wrote it.

Simple? Yes. Effective? Absolutely. The room relaxed, laughter filled the air, and suddenly everyone was ready to engage.

Then, Ifeoluwa Adebayo stepped up. If you follow Technext, you know Ife, she’s the journalist behind the publication’s “Women in Tech” segment, the one spotlighting incredible women building across Africa’s tech ecosystem. Usually, she’s behind a laptop writing these stories. Wednesday was different. She stood in front of the very women whose journeys she typically documents.

Her opening hit home: “If you’ve ever walked into a room full of opportunities and felt like the only woman trying to build something meaningful, you’re not alone. Most times, we navigate spaces where we’re few, learning on the job, figuring things out as we go, questioning whether we truly belong.”

She reminded the audience that they chose to show up. They chose to build, to grow, to become part of something bigger. The day’s theme, “Give to Gain: Experiencing Genuine Growth Beyond Metrics,” would play out in ways nobody fully anticipated.

Fireside chat: “What are we building as women?”

The fireside session, guided by Rebecca, brought together three women whose career paths illustrate different ways to succeed in tech.

Ngozi Nwabueze Esq., affectionately called the “Mother-In-Law” of businesses, runs PocketLawyers.io, a legal tech platform digitising law practices. In three years, her virtual law firm has advised over 250 businesses. She’s proof that lawyers can build tech companies too.

Adedoyin Jaiyesimi co-founded The Comms Avenue, a pan-African platform for communications professionals now spanning 35 countries with over 1,900 members. She’s turned strategic communications into a continental movement.

Anwuli Emmanuella Awogu manages brand strategy at Oxygen X Finance, Access Holdings’ digital lending arm, where she shapes how customers perceive and trust financial technology.

Ngozi opened strong: see opportunities where others see problems. “People who build are those who envisioned it first,” she said, citing Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Tesla. “Women can envision like that, too.”

Then Adedoyin posed the question that hung over the entire event: “What are we as women coming to build?”

Read also: BuildHers Circle: Women urged to embrace constructive criticism for genuine career growth

She pointed out something uncomfortable but true: men consistently come together to execute dreams, collaborate on ventures, and back each other’s ideas. Women? Not as reliably. Her company operates across 35 countries precisely because she built a community intentionally, not accidentally.

Emmanuella pushed the niche conversation: pick one thing and master it.

“Sometimes a gift becomes a curse,” she admitted, reflecting on times she spread herself too thin chasing every opportunity instead of excelling at one.

Ngozi urged structure before expansion. Here’s something many didn’t know: she’s also a stylist. But she only pursued that passion after establishing her law firm properly. “Create your foundation first,” she said, crediting the women who supported her journey.

The conversation touched on entrepreneurial mindsets, seizing opportunities, and the transition from traditional careers to building your own thing. Adedoyin shared how her public speaking started in church, not corporate boardrooms. Emmanuella explained building influence within organisations by aligning your work with company goals and cultivating meaningful relationships.

Women in the room leaned forward, took notes, and asked follow-up questions about managing multiple roles and thriving in spaces that don’t always make room for them.

Then came the brief networking session, and no, this wasn’t awkward mingling over lukewarm snacks. Women exchanged real contacts, discussed collaboration opportunities, shared open roles at their companies, and genuinely invested in each other’s next moves.

Panel session: purpose, adaptability, and the real conversations

After the break, Ifeoluwa returned to moderate a 45-minute panel featuring three women operating at different intersections of tech.

Detiem Taiwo leads programs at CyberSafe Foundation, a nonprofit strengthening cybersecurity awareness and digital safety across Africa. She brought sharp perspectives on building careers in cybersecurity and developing digital resilience.

Adaeze Agunwah manages talent at Tech4Dev, an organization bridging Africa’s digital skills gap. She spoke about workforce development, career transitions, and creating pathways for more women to enter and thrive in tech.

Emmanuella Edeh handles product delivery and implementation at TeamApt, Moniepoint’s parent company. She coordinates teams deploying fintech solutions across Nigeria, managing complex rollouts that translate technology into real-world impact.

The discussion emphasised finding purpose beyond paychecks. Adaeze highlighted the community’s role, especially for women, and the necessity of balance alongside continuous learning. Emmanuella stressed adaptability, being comfortable with unlearning what worked yesterday because tech evolves rapidly.

Detiem made a point that resonated deeply: prioritise strategic impact over frantic activity. She pushed ownership and emotional intelligence as non-negotiables for sustainable careers.

Similar read: Meet the 8 women leading conversations at BuildHers Circle

Then the panel went somewhere few professional events dare to go, managing menstrual pain and emotional disruptions at work. They advocated self-awareness, boundary-setting, and choosing supportive work environments that don’t penalise women for being human.

They wrapped with advice for navigating male-dominated spaces: make yourself strategically visible and develop strong sales skills, because selling your ideas matters as much as having them.

Questions flew. Women shared experiences, admitted struggles with imposter syndrome, and asked how to build confidence when you’re the only woman in the room. The energy was electric.

Honestly, it was so good that if I could’ve dragged every woman I passed on the street into that venue, I would have. Because the women are present? They’re already ten steps ahead.

The testimonies that proved it worked

Two testimonies particularly stood out.

Ezinne Victoria Oti, a sports presenter and analyst at Wazobia FM Lagos, admitted she’d been lost. She wanted to create impact in sports but couldn’t figure out the path. She’d been curious about cybersecurity but had no idea where to begin.

Then she heard Detiem Taiwo speak. Clarity struck. Victoria approached Detiem after the session and now considers her a mentor.

This is exactly why BuildHers Circle matters. So many talented women wander aimlessly not because they lack ambition, but because they lack guidance. One conversation changed Victoria’s trajectory.

In a post-event interview with Technext, she emphasized finding balance, especially crucial for women juggling professional excellence with everything else life demands.

Jumoke Ajala, a business intelligence analyst, walked in with low expectations. Just another women-in-tech talk, right? Wrong. The speakers, the topics, the honesty, it all clicked.

But Jumoke’s real contribution was her advice to other women: stop shrinking yourselves. “Clock it always when you win,” she urged. Own your achievements loudly instead of downplaying them to avoid seeming arrogant.

In her post-event interview, Jumoke committed to attending every future Technext event. That response alone validates everything BuildHers Circle aims to achieve.

Why BuildHers matters beyind the room

Here’s my confession as the guy writing this: women inspire me too. Genevieve, a former university coursemate, pushed me to chase dreams I was too scared to pursue.

Mrs. Khadijat Ismail, my favorite lecturer, shaped my entire career trajectory. Adesumbo, Toye, Olive, Wuraola, Oreoluwa, Toba, Jumoke, Esther, Eunice, all MVPs who prove daily that women lead, innovate, and build remarkable things.

The women at BuildHers Circle are doing the same.

This wasn’t just another event. Real mentorships formed. Career paths clarified. Professional relationships began. Women left with actionable strategies: build structure before expanding, master one niche, leverage community relentlessly, stay open to unlearning, celebrate your wins publicly, and invest genuinely in other women’s success.

For Ezinne Victoria, it meant finding her cybersecurity mentor in real time. For Jumoke Ajala, it meant permission to own her accomplishments. For dozens of others, it meant realizing they’re not building in isolation.

Ifeoluwa’s opening prediction materialized: “The most powerful part of today may just be the connections that happen in this room. Because somewhere in this audience is someone who may become your mentor, your collaborator, your business partner, or even the person who inspires your next big step.”

That’s exactly what happened. Women found mentors. Secured clarity. Felt genuinely seen and supported.

BuildHers Circle proved something critical: when women gather with intention, not for performative networking but genuine investment, transformative growth happens beyond any metric.