ADA NDUKA OYOM: Empowering African Women With Digital Skills

Although the technology sector is growing rapidly in Africa, it remains largely male-dominated.

However, Ada Nduka Oyom, widely known as “Kolokodess,” has stood out as a transformative force. As the founder and executive director of She Code Africa (SCA), she has engineered a community that has directly supported tens of thousands of women and girls across Africa, challenging the status quo with relentless optimism and strategic action.

What makes Oyom unique is her multifaceted, ecosystem-building approach. She is not a solitary figure but a central connector. She serves as a developer relations ecosystem community manager at Google, strategically overseeing developer groups and the Women Techmakers initiative across sub-Saharan Africa.

This corporate role synergises perfectly with her grassroots mission, allowing her to funnel resources and visibility toward her core cause. Her influence extends further as a co-founder of Open Source Community Africa (OSCA), promoting technical collaboration, and through DevRel Lite, where she demystifies developer advocacy for newcomers.

Her salience lies in her institutionalisation of support. She Code Africa began humbly as a social media series spotlighting talented female friends but has grown into a formidable platform with over 16,000 members. It provides structured education, mentorship, and a robust network, moving beyond inspiration to create tangible career pathways. This work has garnered national and global recognition, including a Booking.com Tech Playmaker Award and features on numerous lists of influential women in tech.

Beyond the tech sphere, Oyom engages with broader national issues by directly tackling economic and gender inequality. Her work is a direct intervention in workforce development, aiming to ensure women are not left behind in Africa’s digital economy. By empowering women with high-demand skills, she addresses unemployment and promotes inclusive growth, making her a key player in national development conversations.

Her colleagues describe her as a visionary, mentor and “minister of enjoyment”, a leader who blends immense professionalism with genuine care and an upbeat spirit.

Oyom’s journey began in the suburbs of Lagos. As the only daughter and second child, she developed a sense of responsibility early. A childhood habit of devouring her father’s daily newspapers and listening to the radio instilled in her a keen awareness of the world around her.

This early engagement with information and structure presaged her future role as a communicator and community architect. Though she pursued Microbiology at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, it was her immersion in developer communities like GDSC and GDG that charted her proper course, setting the stage for a life dedicated to building inclusive tech spaces. From these foundations, Oyom has risen to become not just a role model but a pivotal architect of Africa’s digital future.