Oral history interview with Judith Anne Adem Owigar, 2021
Abstract
Judith Owigar, co-founder of AkiraChix, discusses her advocacy on behalf of young women in the tech industry, and shares memories of her participation in a panel event with President Obama and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta at the July 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Nairobi, Kenya. Owigar recounts her upbringing and education in Nairobi; describes the under-representation of women in techn ical and leadership roles in technology companies; and provides details about the founding of AkiraChix in 2010 and its efforts to increase women's representation in tech and opportunities for girls in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). She also tells the story of her selection and participation at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, and shares anecdotes of her encounters with President Obama. Also discussed are Owigar's memories of Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, Kenyans' feelings toward Obama and reaction to Obama's election, and the place of Africa in the future of the tech industry
Presidents--United States; Entrepreneurship--Kenya; Women in science--Africa, East; Women in technology--Africa, East; Women in engineering--Africa, East; Women in mathematics--Africa, East; Leadership in women--Africa, East; Owigar, Judith; Obama, Barack
Format
oral histories
Genre
Interviews
Date
2021
Physical Description
35 pages
Note (Biographical)
Judith Owigar is a Kenyan social entrepreneur, whose work focuses in the areas of women and technology, youth entrepreneurship, and labor rights. She is the co-founder of multiple organizations and community networks: AkiraChix, which aims to enhance the prominence of women in tech leadership positions, and provides training programs to girls and young women, and the Juakali Workforce, which works to organize and promote workers in informal sectors. In July 2015, Owigar participated in a panel conversation with President Obama and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Nairobi, Kenya
Note
Interviewed by Karida Brown on June 16, 2021. This interview is part of the Columbia University: Obama Presidency Oral History
Note (Provenance)
Judith Anne Adem Owigar, Gift, transferred from Columbia Center for Oral History Research 2023