As part of its international women’s day month
celebrations, leading mobility platform Bolt has brought back Drive for
Women in Tech (#Drive4WITech) initiative. The aim is to provide equal
opportunities for women in technology and improve overall gender equality in
the mobility sector. The initiative includes an internship programme for young
women who choose to start a career in technology regardless of their existing
educational background.
The Bolt #Drive4WITech internship
offers opportunities in operations, public relations, marketing, and
engineering with access to excellent learning from top Bolt executives to young
women across Africa. The immersive program was first launched in 2021 and
recorded great success with massive participation. At the end of the programme,
some of the interns were retained in full-time positions by the company. The
2022 internship program aims to extend the achievement of the Bolt initiative
and further bridge the gender gap in the technology sector.
Commenting
on the initiative, Country Manager for Bolt, Oludele Dare, said, “At Bolt, we understand the importance of a
diverse and inclusive society for development. We provide equal opportunity to
members of our community and recognise some of the barriers limiting young
women from breaking into tech. Hence, we created the #Drive4WITech programme to
ensure capacity building for young women and create a gender balance for impact
in the technology industry. The internship programme provides young women with
little to no experience in tech but a desire to break into the sector a rare
opportunity thrive in the field.”
For young women to be part of the
internship programme, they must fill out an online form and send a short video
pitching themselves to be selected. The #Drive4WITech application will be open
throughout March, while recruitment will be in April. Successful candidates
will be announced in May, and the internship will run through May and June.
Tech is key to development in
Nigeria and Africa. Initiatives like the Drive4WI Tech initiative will, in the
long term, boost Nigeria’s economy while encouraging an environment of
inclusivity. The journey into tech for women in Africa is an ongoing
conversation, primarily influenced by cultural norms and societal expectations
regarding gender. The lack of diversity & inclusion and female participation
in technology is still very topical. Bolt, an inclusive tech company,
recognises this and fulfils its commitments to include more women in tech.
***END***
About
Bolt
Bolt is the first European super-app with the
mission to make urban mobility more affordable, safe, and sustainable. Bolt has
100 million customers in 45 countries across Europe and Africa. The company
offers a range of mobility services, including ride-hailing, shared cars and
scooters, and food and grocery delivery.
