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| Photo credit: Vanguardngr |
Oluchi Enebeli stands out as one of Nigeria's pioneering female blockchain engineers, and her journey is as inspiring as it is transformative. As the co-founder of Crevatal and the visionary behind Web3Ladies, she has emerged as a vital force in shaping the Web3 landscape while tackling the glaring gender disparity in blockchain engineering.
Enebeli’s story is rooted in resilience. While pursuing a Mathematics degree at the University of Benin with the hope of achieving first-class honors, she faced a significant disappointment that disrupted her academic aspirations. Rather than returning home, she chose to remain on campus and explore new paths. Initially, her understanding of technology was limited to fields like desktop publishing and graphic design. Her journey into tech began humbly when her financial constraints made advanced courses, such as a Cisco certification, seem out of reach. A pivotal moment came when she attended a WordPress training organized by her local church—a decision that sparked her passion for web development and set her on a new trajectory.
Enebeli’s initial steps into technology led her to an internship at Crenet Tech Labs in Lagos, where she was introduced to a blockchain hackathon. Despite having no prior knowledge of blockchain, her curiosity propelled her to learn. She quickly realized that blockchain extended far beyond cryptocurrency—it offered transformative potential for transparency, governance, and financial empowerment. This discovery opened doors to career opportunities she had never imagined. From participating in hackathons to forming relationships with key industry players, Enebeli's efforts culminated in a blockchain engineering role at Sterling Bank. From there, her career soared, taking her to international brands such as Binance, Crypto.com, and Nestcoin.
As Enebeli advanced in her career, she became acutely aware of the underrepresentation of women in blockchain engineering. In many teams, women accounted for as little as 2–5% of the workforce. Motivated to address this disparity, she founded Web3Ladies in 2021, a community aimed at equipping African women with the skills to thrive in blockchain and Web3 industries. Her ambitious vision was to introduce 100,000 African women to the opportunities within this field.
“Blockchain opened new doors of opportunities and possibilities for me. As a blockchain engineer, it makes an impact on your finances. It made me more financially literate,” Oluchi disclosed to Tech Next.
The impact of Web3Ladies has been remarkable. By 2022, the initiative had already trained over 2,000 women through mentorship programs. Participants developed real-world projects, secured jobs, and even started their own businesses. Today, Web3Ladies is a thriving network with over 153,890 members across countries like Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, and Uganda. The community has facilitated the use of 25+ essential work tools and supported the development of 24 projects led by women. Additionally, the initiative is actively introducing blockchain concepts to young women at universities, fostering early interest, and creating a talent pipeline for the industry.
Through her work, Oluchi Enebeli continues to break barriers and redefine opportunities for women in blockchain and Web3 technologies, proving that the intersection of technology and empowerment is a powerful force for change.
Source: Vanguardngr
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