By
Despite the transformative potential of artificial intelligence across industries, women — especially those from underserved communities — remain starkly underrepresented in AI careers and entrepreneurship. In Nigeria, for instance, women account for just 11% of the technology and engineering workforce, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, reflecting a gender divide that continues to limit economic participation and innovation in the country’s fast-growing tech sector.
To confront this imbalance, global tech nonprofit Technovation, in partnership with Generation Unlimited, has launched the AI Ventures Accelerator — a first-of-its-kind program designed to equip young Nigerian women with the tools, skills, and networks to become AI-driven entrepreneurs.
Targeting women aged 19 to 24, the accelerator delivers a blended learning experience that combines hands-on AI technical training with leadership development, financial literacy, and business incubation support. The goal is not only to help participants understand and build with AI, but to empower them to create scalable, socially impactful ventures rooted in their local realities.
The initiative builds on Technovation’s global track record of advancing digital inclusion. Over the past decade, the nonprofit has helped more than 400,000 young women across 120+ countries learn to code, build technology startups, and tackle real-world problems — from climate resilience to education and healthcare.
The new Nigeria-focused accelerator represents a natural evolution of that mission, focusing on AI as a lever for both economic empowerment and ethical innovation. By nurturing a generation of women who can build, lead, and own AI ventures, Technovation and Generation Unlimited hope to reshape who participates in — and benefits from — Africa’s AI revolution.
AI editor Faustine Ngila spoke with Tara Chklovski, Founder and CEO of Technovation, focussing on how this initiative is redefining access to AI entrepreneurship for young women in Africa, the challenges of inclusive AI education, and why Nigeria is poised to become a proving ground for equitable innovation.
- Tara, you’ve spent years empowering girls and women to become technology leaders. What gap did you see that inspired the creation of the AI Ventures Accelerator, and why start in Nigeria?
We’ve spent almost 15 years helping girls see themselves as problem solvers and innovators – building not just apps, but confidence and identity. Over time, we’ve stayed in touch with thousands of alumni around the world, and we kept hearing the same story. When they try to take the next step to grow their ideas, attract investment, or build a real company, the barriers are still enormous. They struggle to access capital, networks, and mentors. And they’re often pushing against deep social norms that make it hard for a young woman, fresh out of school, to be taken seriously as a founder. We realized our work can’t stop when a girl turns 18. If we want her to become the technology leader the world truly needs, we have to stay beside her – helping her cross that fragile bridge from learning to leading. That’s what inspired the AI Ventures Accelerator. It’s the next chapter of our mission to create a strong ecosystem of support, resources, and role models, enabling these young women to turn their ideas into real, scalable ventures. We’re starting in Nigeria because the hunger to innovate there is unmatched. It’s one of the countries where Technovation has the deepest roots and most passionate alumni. These young women are ready, ambitious, and just need that extra layer of support to bring their ideas to life and shape Africa’s AI future.
2. Only 11% of Nigeria’s tech and engineering workforce are women. What do you think are the biggest barriers keeping young women from pursuing AI and entrepreneurship – and how is this program tackling them?
I don’t think Nigeria is unique in this challenge as almost every country in the world still systematically and culturally limits women’s opportunities. Deeply ingrained social norms still steer men and women toward very different roles, with men often toward leadership and power and women toward support and care. And when you combine that with the realities of a lower-income country, you get a double burden: fewer opportunities, less access to capital, and social expectations that make it hard for girls to even imagine themselves as innovators or founders. But what gives me hope is that technology can help break through those barriers. With AI and entrepreneurship, a young woman in Nigeria can build something that reaches thousands or even millions of people beyond her local community. Technology transcends borders; it gives women access to customers, collaborators, and investors they might never meet otherwise. That’s why our program focuses on equipping young women not just with AI and business skills, but also with mentorship, social capital, and access to funding. These are the three levers that change everything. Because when you give a young woman the tools and the network to turn her ideas into impact, she doesn’t just change her own life, she helps reshape what’s possible for every girl who comes after her.
3. The Accelerator blends AI technical training, leadership development, financial literacy, and business incubation. Why was it important to combine these elements rather than focus only on technical skills?
While technical skills in AI can be acquired through freely available YouTube videos or low-cost online courses, what truly holds aspiring entrepreneurs back is a lack of courage. They can struggle to find resilience and persistence to solve big problems and push through failures. This isn’t taught in schools or self-paced courses; it is forged in a safe, supportive environment with peers, mentors, and guided experiences. That’s precisely why accelerators like ours integrate leadership development, financial literacy and business incubation alongside AI training. This holistic approach builds not just coders, but bold and resilient tech innovators ready to launch startups. Your first venture might flop, but the second, third, or fourth? That’s where game-changing success happens.
4. This program targets young women aged 19 to 24. What unique potential do you see in this age group, and how can early exposure to AI entrepreneurship change their long-term career paths?
We’re focusing on young women ages 19 to 24 because they represent the first truly AI-native generation. They’ve grown up not just using technology, but shaping how it’s used. They approach generative AI with curiosity, courage and creativity rather than fear. That combination is rare and powerful. They also bring something the world urgently needs, which is a local perspective. Every country is trying to achieve some form of AI sovereignty, especially in its own capacity rather than relying entirely on a few global corporations. The best way to do that is by cultivating local talent. The local talent has the bold, AI-native innovators who can apply technology to their community’s toughest, most complex problems. By giving these young women early exposure to AI entrepreneurship, we’re not just opening career doors. We’re shaping a generation of builders who can design original solutions, create jobs, and lead their countries toward the future. A more inclusive, resilient, and independent future for AI.
5. Technovation has a global footprint. What makes Nigeria, and perhaps Africa more broadly, an important frontier for growing inclusive AI talent?
Africa is the world’s next frontier for innovation, as 30% of the global workforce will come from this continent in the coming decades. Nigeria, with its young, vibrant, and ambitious population is at the heart of that transformation. For Africa and for the world, it’s essential that young Africans have not just access to AI, but the skills to innovate with it. This allows them to build globally competitive businesses and to shape technologies that reflect their realities and aspirations. Africa’s 54 countries represent an extraordinary diversity of cultures, languages, and ways of thinking yet these voices are still underrepresented in the data that trains large language models. That means the global AI systems shaping our future are missing African perspectives. Changing that starts with equipping young people, especially young women, to design and lead AI solutions that tell new stories and solve real problems. Nigeria is a natural place for us to focus. Technovation has had one of its longest and strongest presences there, with Nigerian girls joining our programs as early as 2013. Over the years we’ve seen their hunger to learn, to innovate, and to lead change. That drive, combined with the country’s growing ecosystem and demographic momentum, makes Nigeria one of the most exciting places in the world to grow inclusive AI talent.
6. Many AI programs focus on coding and research — but entrepreneurship is often overlooked. How will the Accelerator help participants turn ideas into viable AI-driven businesses?
A key focus of the Accelerator will be to test the viability of ideas in the real world with a significantly large number of user testing as this is the best way to get people’s feedback. In addition we will be working with the Oxford Business School to provide guidance based on case studies and expertise in training and supporting entrepreneurs around the world. Within the course, fundamentals of AI ready leadership and the collaboration with world class institutions will provide cutting-edge insights. These connections will help link accelerator participants with leading entrepreneurs from all around the world, not just Silicon Valley. Entrepreneurs who are driving incredibly successful businesses in every part of the world will be able to connect with expert mentors and world class educational institutions. This partnership will ensure that the accelerated participants have the skills, social capital and the confidence to actually launch successful businesses.
7. Collaboration with Generation Unlimited is a key part of this initiative. What role do partnerships like this play in scaling opportunities for young women in tech globally?
Empowering half the world to become technology leaders, not just users, is a challenge far too big for any one organization to solve alone. That’s why partnerships like Technovation with Generation Unlimited are so essential. They bring a powerful global network, from local community partners to national governments, that helps open doors and build the kind of ecosystem young women need to thrive. Technovation brings deep expertise in AI education and mentorship, helping young women build cutting-edge skills and social capital. Generation Unlimited complements that by connecting these efforts to broader systems such as policy, infrastructure, and national youth strategies. Together, we can take what works and scale it globally to ensure that every young woman, no matter where she lives, has the opportunity to learn, build, and lead with technology.
8. Finally, looking ahead — what’s your vision for the next generation of women in AI? What does success look like for the AI Ventures Accelerator five years from now?
That’s such a great question and honestly, it’s at the heart of our 15-year strategic plan. We’re evolving from being a girl-focused organization to becoming the world’s largest network of women technology professionals, innovators, entrepreneurs, and investors. The AI Ventures Accelerator is a major step in that journey. Right now, women founders in every country face the same barrier – no matter if it is Silicon Valley, or Nigeria, or India, Brazil, the UK, or Spain- bias against their capabilities and a lack of access to capital and networks. We want to change that. Our vision is to build a scalable, self-sustaining accelerator that not only supports the first thousand women but eventually empowers hundreds of thousands to launch and grow successful AI startups. Five years from now, success will look like a thriving global ecosystem, where young women have access to mentorship, expertise, funding, and visibility. They will be able to see their innovations shaping industries and solving real problems. And ultimately, it will be completely normal for women founders to receive the same level of seed funding as others.
Join our email list to stay connected.
