FORWARD LEADERSHIP
access) and there were serious challenges on taxation of handsets. This of course made it very difficult. Countries that have been able to address high taxation on devices have seen a significant uptake in internet usage. This is a positive result and one I would like to see replicated across the continent.
BT: What do you say about the industry being largely male dominated and what are the challenges facing women in Technology?
UO: Yes it is true that the tech industry is still largely male dominated, however I think in the last couple of years things are beginning to shift. In Ghana for example 3 out of 5 of the MNOs are run by women. There were none 2 years ago. I see similar trends in other industries as well. However, it ' s by no means problem solved. There is still a challenge with the pipeline and the stories about women in senior roles are still too few and far in between and it requires leadership from the top to address and fix it.
I remember on my first day on the job in DRC, I met the management team in the boardroom and I was very surprised to see that they were all men, all of them. 12 people and not one woman! I was determined to change that and over the next few months through internal promotions and external hires, we went from 0 to 40 % on the executive team. In the wider business, we focused on identifying talent through a mentorship programme.
Most importantly I tried as much as possible to meet and speak with as many women as possible to talk about the need to articulate their ambitions. We need to be active
participants in our careers which means saying what you want and not being afraid. It was only after I said I wanted to become a CEO and started working towards it that it eventually became a reality. It was not easy but it all started with me saying it out loud. I am also a strong advocate for taking careers risks and this includes taking up roles which are more challenging and may even be outside our comfort zones and sometimes country.
BT: Do you believe that organizations should have quota for women or there should be an opportunity that women should put themselves forward?
UO: I see quotas as a necessary evil. Necessary in some organizations to force the change. In my situation for instance I had a mindset that I wanted diversity in the leadership team and within the business because I strongly believe diversity is important to the growth and development of any organization. It is extremely difficult to achieve diversity if the leader does not believe in it. It requires support especially from the top.
BT: Now let’ s talk about your other passion. How do you plan to support young people across Africa with the knowledge and experience you have acquired over the years?
UO: Lately I have been doing a lot of writing on my website, www. ucheofodile. com and on my social media pages @ ucheofodile. I am also taking up more speaking engagements. All these are geared towards sharing my experience and spurring others on. I have a great community of over 70,000 people on my platform and these include people
38 Business Times Africa | 2016