Women in Tech Forum Pushes Digital Innovation as Tool for Economic Inclusion
Technology leaders and innovators meeting in Nairobi under the WITIA Creative Show 2026 have called for greater investment in digital innovation and homegrown technology solutions to unlock opportunities for young people, creators and women across Africa.
The forum, hosted by Women in Technology and Innovation Africa (WITIA), brought together innovators, entrepreneurs, creatives and digital leaders to discuss the future of Africa’s digital economy and the growing role of women in shaping innovation.
Speaking during the event, WITIA founder and chairperson Eunice Pohlmann said the organisation was created to address the low representation of women in technology spaces and create opportunities for young innovators across the continent.
“We need more women in technology and innovation because the future is digital. ” she said “Everything today revolves around technology, data and digital services, if women are left behind, then we are leaving behind a huge part of Africa’s potential,” she added.
Pohlmann noted that the forum’s theme, Creative Futures: Innovate and Inclusion, was aimed at encouraging young people to develop practical solutions to social and economic challenges affecting communities across Africa.
She added that platforms such as WITIA are helping connect innovators to investors and creating opportunities for startups and young entrepreneurs to scale their ideas.
The event also showcased locally developed digital platforms aimed at supporting Africa’s growing creative economy and addressing challenges facing content creators.
Among the innovators featured was Mwendwa Mutua, co-founder and Chief Growth Officer of WasaaChat, a Kenyan-built social platform targeting creators and influencers.
Mutua said African creators have long struggled to benefit financially from global digital platforms despite producing highly consumed content.
“Most of the social media technology we use was never really designed with African creators in mind when it comes to monetisation. ”
He added that Africans with millions of followers end up with no real income, and that is the gap Wasaachat aims to bridge by giving creators direct power over their audience and earnings.
According to Mutua, the platform enables audiences to support creators directly through a digital tipping model, reducing dependence on complicated monetisation systems often tied to strict algorithms and audience thresholds.
He said the innovation is also targeting young people outside major urban centres by creating new income opportunities through digital content creation.
“We are not just focusing on Nairobi. We want to go to communities that are often overlooked” He said promising to encourage a young people in the village to create content and earn a living from their talent through WasaaChat
Pohlmann also highlighted WITIA’s initiatives focused on introducing girls to technology at an early age through digital and smart libraries in schools, saying early exposure to computers and innovation can help bridge the gender gap in the tech industry.
The forum further explored the role of artificial intelligence, digital entrepreneurship and innovation in driving economic growth and positioning Africa’s creative economy as a major contributor to future development.
