Her Tech Journey: Tinuade Oguntuyi

Her Story, Her Impact

Tinuade Oguntuyi, God’s beloved baby, a wife, and a mother is a multi-award-winning Tech Mentor, passionate STEM Inclusion evangelist, educator, and international speaker. She also serves as a Co-Chair of the Infrastructure, Access, and Connectivity working group of the Internet Society (Nigeria Chapter) and a Fellow of the Nigerian School on Internet Governance, FNSIG. 

What inspired you to pursue a career in Tech?

My gap year gave birth to my love for technology, this was 25 years ago when I didn’t meet the cut-off mark for Medicine in the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) exams twice.  My mother who couldn’t afford me to stay idle, enrolled me at the University of Lagos Computer Center to study a certificate course in Computer appreciation and this singular experience opened me to a world of new possibilities.

What was your first Tech-related job or project? How did it shape your journey?

After completing the three(3) months of computer appreciation, I fell in love with computing, so I enrolled for advanced computer appreciation and eventually a Diploma in Data processing – This was a miraculous admission by the way, well let me get back to my story. Recall I mentioned I have always wanted medicine so that passion influenced my Project topic – "Where There is No Doctor: Simple Diagnosis for Female Diseases.", here I wrote command lines with a Database Management system (DBMS) to ask simple questions that require a Yes or No answer and based on responses, the program recommended the next steps in form of diagnosis and treatment to the patient. This I must say was a wow moment for me, and this made me change my subject combination at the next JAMB exams to pursue Computer Science at the University.

What challenges have you faced as a Woman in Tech, and how did you overcome them?

I have faced a lot of doubt not necessarily in myself but from others, I have also been heartbroken and disappointed at very different stages of my over 13 years of career experience as a woman.

While I still have these experiences, though not as much as they used to be, I mean it feels bad when you are not given an opportunity or acknowledged as a Core technical resource just because of your gender, The good thing though is that these moments have taught me a lot.

 I will say thanks to the internet and social media which have helped me push my work and skills out, but with self-awareness, emotional intelligence, self-confidence, and dedication I was able to overcome the negative vibes and rise above the noise.

How do you stay updated with new trends and advancements in the Tech industry?

I am a lifelong learner with so much desire to get better by the day.  I have several communities like CIO Africa, GSMA, Cisco Academy, ISOC learning, Linkedln Learning edX, etc. where I stay up to date professionally, In fact, I recently wrote about this on Linkedln – I got an invite to speak at MWC Kigali, a conference organized by GSMA. Imagine a platform that I have drawn knowledge from for years. It feels good.

How do you think Tech is impacting Nigeria, and what role do you see women playing in this transformation?

The Tech ecosystem is very vibrant and evolving fast. You can see a clear multi-stakeholder community engagement – Government, Private/Business, Civil society/NGOs, etc. making the most of what we have.

As a woman I am most excited to be alive at this age not necessarily because we have attained but the amazing work, representation, and giant strides Nigerian women in and outside the country are making.

I contribute greatly to Network/Telco Infrastructure providing services in rural communities and bridging the digital gap, other women are defending the digital space while so many others are solving crucial problems using tech.  Now we have more women-led tech startups compared to years back. The Future is here and it is looking good.

Who or what has been the greatest influence in your career and why?

My Mother has been the background, My husband has been the most supportive and while I didn’t have a direct role model professionally, I looked up to Funke Okpeke because when I read her stories early in my career, I felt if this woman could do all this, I can as well, but she’s not on social media and I couldn’t even find her on LinkedIn, except there is an event where she is a speaker, then I will hear her speak. I never had someone to show me the ropes directly.

What advice would you give to young women aspiring to enter the Tech world?

Do it afraid, you will do yourself a disservice if you talk yourself out of relevance and purpose.

Make a BRAG sheet – List accomplishments/projects you have completed excellently as far as you can remember, you will shocked by the kind of greatness you carry.

You have all it takes to make a difference.  

Look for women and allies doing what you are interested in.

The Tech sphere mirrors a grand puzzle, where each individual's unique piece completes the picture." Tinuade Oguntuyi (IWD 2024).

What would you say to a Woman in Tech who may be struggling with imposter syndrome or other obstacles in her tech career?

I always say as a woman in tech, naturally, it means you have to do a lot of work to prove your worth and this is not just another cliche, it is a global fact that the tech sector is a male-dominated ecosystem and without resilience and believing in yourself you won't be a force, don’t be scared to fail, allow yourself to learn and grow. Emphasis on learning cause you cannot give what you do not have. Don’t downplay communities, networks, and showing up. Be Visible.

 In all be confident and trust God have your back.

What’s next for you in your Tech career? Any exciting projects or goals you would like to share with us?

The technological landscape is fast evolving and adaptability is key to thriving in this ecosystem, or else one will become redundant or disrupted.  I am mostly driven by our stakeholders’ needs, and this is the Customers. Always driving new solutions to make our customers enjoy ease, in a secure, and economical mode is always a drive, cause that way they can focus on their core business.

What’s your favorite life quote  

 “Never allow anyone to talk you out of your purpose, always picture the future you want to feature in ” – Tinuade  Oguntuyi