Women leaders across business, investment, technology, and development sectors have called for stronger policies, greater access to capital, and deliberate efforts to increase female participation in artificial intelligence (AI), warning that Africa risks missing out on the technology’s transformative potential if women are left behind.
The call was made during a panel session titled “SheCodes the Algorithm: The Power of Women Rewriting Data & AI” at the third edition of the BlueChip Data and AI Summit held at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos.
Moderated by Olamide Odekunle, TVC Communications’ first AI television presenter, the session featured Margreth Olele, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Secretary of the American Business Council of Nigeria; Uzo Nwani, Chief Executive Officer of Capital Club Lagos; and Ifehan Ositanlu, Founder of Edon Venture Group.
The panel examined how women can play a more influential role in AI leadership, innovation, policymaking, and adoption as artificial intelligence continues to reshape economies and industries globally.
Speaking on the importance of policy, Olele said conversations about women in technology must move beyond rhetoric and focus on creating meaningful pathways to leadership and participation.
“I see a woman first as a human before being a woman,” she said. “There is still quite a lot that we need to build and quite a lot that we need to do.”
According to her, while technology companies, development organisations, and business groups have supported initiatives aimed at increasing women’s participation in technology, policy remains critical to driving sustainable progress.
Olele noted that global technology firms, including Google, Microsoft, and Oracle, have backed programmes that support technology adoption and skills development. However, she argued that stronger policy frameworks are needed to ensure women can fully participate in the AI economy.
She also identified access to capital as one of the biggest obstacles facing women entrepreneurs seeking opportunities in AI and emerging technologies.
“As we see younger women coming into the marketplace, we should definitely make sure they have access to capital because that’s the only way they can play in this space,” she said.
“AI is capital intensive, and even the choices of AI solutions businesses adopt require significant investment.”
Offering an investor and development-sector perspective, Ositanlu described AI as a powerful tool for accelerating inclusion and economic participation, particularly among women and young people.
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However, she cautioned that representation and safety must remain central to AI development.
“One thing that we must remember is the risks around the use of AI,” she said. “The biggest thing is making sure that girls are part of the storytelling because storytelling is data.”
Ositanlu stressed that the experiences and realities of African women must be reflected in the datasets used to train AI systems.
“If African women’s stories are missing, poorly documented, or misrepresented, then AI systems will misunderstand African realities,” she said.
She argued that inclusive datasets are essential to building AI systems capable of addressing local challenges and accurately reflecting African societies.
The discussion also highlighted the persistent gender gap in the global AI workforce. Referencing statistics showing that women remain significantly under-represented in AI careers and leadership positions, Odekunle questioned how organisations can create opportunities for talented women from underserved communities.
Responding, Olele said multinational corporations are increasingly willing to recruit talent from anywhere, provided such talent is visible and given opportunities to demonstrate its capabilities.
“Between the recognition of talent and employability, there is a gap, and that gap is being able to have a platform,” she said.
She pointed to coding programmes, hackathons, and technology-focused initiatives as important channels for helping women gain exposure, build skills, and connect with employers.
The panelists also discussed institutional support for women-led businesses. While acknowledging that several funding initiatives targeted at women entrepreneurs already exist, Olele stressed the importance of building strong, competitive businesses capable of attracting investment on merit.
“You should have something that goes above board,” she said. “You’re not presenting because you’re a woman and there is a package available. You’re presenting a business that can stand on its own merit.”
Ositanlu added that Nigeria already has policy frameworks capable of advancing women’s economic participation if properly implemented.
“I don’t think we necessarily need new policies,” she said. “What we need is to work together to implement the solutions that are already available.”
She called for stronger collaboration among government agencies, investors, technology companies, educational institutions, and women-focused organisations to accelerate progress.
The discussion later shifted to AI adoption among business leaders without technical backgrounds.
Nwani argued that understanding AI should be viewed as a leadership competency rather than a purely technical skill.
“You don’t need to know how to build a model to lead an AI-driven business,” she said.
“What you need to know is what it can do, what it cannot do, the risks it introduces to your customers, your data, and your reputation.”
She noted that many executives are intimidated by the pace of AI development and mistakenly believe they need advanced technical expertise before embracing the technology.
“It’s not that hard,” Nwani said. “You need to understand what problem you are trying to solve and choose the right tools for your business.”
As the session drew to a close, Odekunle asked the panelists to imagine a future where a young woman leads one of the world’s largest AI companies in 2050 and identify what would make such a milestone possible.
The panelists agreed that achieving that vision would require sustained investments in education, access to capital, inclusive digital infrastructure, effective policy implementation, and greater representation of women in leadership and decision-making positions.
Their message was clear: the future of AI must be built with women, not merely for women.
As artificial intelligence continues to transform industries and economies worldwide, the speakers maintained that ensuring women have equal opportunities to shape its development will be critical to unlocking Africa’s full innovation potential and building a more inclusive digital future.
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