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Judith Adem Owigar

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Judith Owigar
Born1985 (age 38–39)
Kenya
Other namesAdem
CitizenshipKenyan
Alma mater
Occupations
Known forCo-founder of AkiraChix
Awards
  • Change agent ABIE Award (2011)
  • Focus Fellow (2014)
  • Acumen Fellow (2015)
WebsiteURL|https://www.judithowigar.com/

Judith Adem Owigar (born 1985) is a Kenyan tech entrepreneur and activist, known for promoting gender diversity in the African technology sector. She is also the co-founder and president of AkiraChix, an organization aimed at empowering women through technology.[1][2][3][4][5]

Ealy life and career

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Educational background

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University of Nairobi, Kenya

Judith earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Nairobi in 2008. She later pursued a Master of Science in Applied Computing, also from the University of Nairobi, in 2016.[6][7]

Career

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Judith began her career as a tech support specialist at Turnkey Africa. In 2008, she transitioned to Ibid Labs as a developer. From 2009 to 2012 Judith worked at the Japan Center for Conflict Prevention, where she played a key role in developing databases and web applications used for the project Somalia and the Great Lakes region.[8] By 2012, she founded Juakali, a platform designed to link skilled workers in Kenya’s informal sector with employment opportunities in construction and other industries.[9][10][11][12][13][14] In 2016, she served as an ICT advisor for the Urban Basic Services Branch of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). Judith has held board positions with several organizations, including the Swedish Program for ICT in Developing Regions (SPIDER), Lumen Labs, and the Africa WeTech Leadership Council. She currently works as Smart and Electric Mobility Consultant for UN-Habitat [15][16][17][18]

AkiraChix

In 2010, Judith co-founded AkiraChix a non-profit organisation aimed at increasing women's representation in technology. As the Operations Director, she led the organization’s first research on Kenyan girls' & Women's attitudes towards technology and designed AkiraChix’s mentorship program, which paired mentors with participants in the organization’s training programs. Judith secured $800,000 in grant funding and developed partnerships between AkiraChix and funding organizations such as InfoDev, the US Embassy in Kenya, Safaricom, and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).[19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]

Awards and recognition

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Barack Obaama
Uhuru Kenyatta

Judith has been a keynote speaker at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing and the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, where she shared the stage with former US President Barack Obama and Uhuru Kenyatta former president of Kenya.[28] In 2014 Forbes named her one of Africa's '10 Female Tech Founders to Watch.[29]

She has been recognized with awards, including:

  • CNN’s 10 African Voices to Follow on Twitter
  • East Africa Acumen Fellow – 2015.[30]
  • Change Agent ABIE Award.[31][32]
  • Focus Fellow – 2014.[33]
  • Top 40 Under 40 Women in Kenya.[34]

References

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  1. ^ "Judith Owigar - The startup story of a visionary Kenyan techpreneur working to make a huge impact by nurturing the talents of women in technology". Lionesses of Africa. 2015-11-18. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  2. ^ Rinchi (2019-03-24). "Judith Owigar: The Kenyan Entrepreneur Who Uses Technology for Positive Change". Tech In Africa. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  3. ^ Anyango, Roveen (2024-06-18). "Top 10 African Women Innovators in Tech: Inspiring Stories and Achievements - AWIT". Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  4. ^ "Girls in ICT: Technology lifting thousands out of poverty". Africa Renewal. 2015-04-24. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  5. ^ v-trmyl (2017-02-26). "Women in Technology". learn.microsoft.com. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  6. ^ "judith owigar | University of Nairobi, Kenya - Academia.edu". uonbi.academia.edu. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  7. ^ "Judith Owigar". Judith Owigar. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  8. ^ "Judith Owigar - Global Philanthropy Forum". 2020-12-05. Archived from the original on 2020-12-05. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  9. ^ "juakali.co.ke". juakali.co.ke. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  10. ^ "Judith Owigar: The Revolutionary - TECHHER". Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  11. ^ "Judith Adem Owigar | Kenyans.co.ke". www.kenyans.co.ke. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  12. ^ "Judith Owigar – Kenya Yearbook Editorial Board". 2022-05-07. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  13. ^ "Technology". www.theeverywoman.org. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  14. ^ Mbiakecha, Corine (2017-10-12). "Are you in-step with the future of workplace?". CIO Africa. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  15. ^ "SPIDER – Inclusive digitalisation that benefits all". Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  16. ^ "UN-Habitat - A Better Urban Future | UN-Habitat". unhabitat.org. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  17. ^ "Judith Owigar, Autor bei Urbanet". Urbanet. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  18. ^ "Judith Owigar". Judith Owigar. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  19. ^ Radulovski, Anna (2024-03-11). "Judith Owigar Fostering Tech Talent in Africa". www.womentech.net. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  20. ^ "Judith Owigar is the CoFounder and Operations Director of Akirachix, a Kenyan organization that grooms women to use and develop technology. – Leading Ladies Africa". Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  21. ^ Gicheru, Martin (2013-05-18). "Akirachix holds Mobile Garage Apps showcase in Nairobi". Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  22. ^ "IFUW and UN Women Partner for Regional Seminar". Graduate Women International (GWI). Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  23. ^ EBR (2016-04-16). "Judith Owigar, Founder, Akirachix". The European Business Review. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  24. ^ "Judith Owigar - The Story Of A Visionary Kenyan Techpreneur Working To Make A Huge Impact By Nurturing The Talents Of Women In Technology | Duchess International Magazine". 2015-12-02. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  25. ^ "Judith Owigar". UN Habitat. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  26. ^ Dinfin (2012-09-09). "Top Women In Kenyan IT". Ventures Africa. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  27. ^ "Judith Owigar – Persistence is key – Business Mic". www.businessmic.com. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  28. ^ "judith owigar - She Leads Africa". Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  29. ^ Rao, Pavithra (2014-04-30). "Africa watch". Africa Renewal. 28 (1): 3–4. doi:10.18356/ea2a11eb-en. ISSN 2517-9829.
  30. ^ "6 Women founders of social ventures selected 2015 Acumen East-African Fellows". Lionesses of Africa. 2015-02-03. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  31. ^ "Judith Owigar". Alliance For AI. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  32. ^ "Global Abie Awards | Celebrating Tech Leaders". AnitaB.org. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  33. ^ "Catalyzing Latina & Black women founders | digitalundivided". digitalundivided.com. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  34. ^ "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
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