Inside the careers of two women shaping fintech at Redtech
From corporate communications and oil and gas to fintech, Bukola Alawiye and Busola Oluwatobi have taken unconventional paths into Africa’s tech ecosystem. They share how curiosity, mentorship, and constant learning helped them transition into tech.
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People from diverse backgrounds have contributed immensely to the growth of Africa’s tech ecosystem. At the centre of the impressive innovations are women, some of whom are behind the scenes but doing amazing things.<br />
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For Bukola Alawiye and Busola Oluwatobi, that journey into the exciting field of technology started with studying unrelated courses – English language and biological sciences, respectively. Today, both women are building careers at Redtech, a Nigerian fintech company: one shaping products, the other building the teams that power them.<br />
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In commemoration of International Women’s Day, they share how their early curiosity about technology evolved into full careers in fintech, what they see as the African woman advantage, and why more women should take leadership roles in the ecosystem.<br />
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What were your early interactions with technology, and what made you decide to work in this space?<br />
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Bukola Alawiye:<br />
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My first interaction with the corporate environment was in communications. One thing I quickly realised was that technology is a great enabler for almost everything related to communications and marketing. <br />
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Seeing how much technology impacts almost every area of our lives, from marketing and products to how businesses operate, was intriguing to me. That curiosity made me want to understand how things worked beyond the surface.<br />
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I began speaking with experienced individuals in the tech space. Every question led to answers, and those answers brought even more questions. That curiosity became my first real interaction with technology, particularly around websites and web development, and it became the bedrock of my interest in the tech space.<br />
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My first role was in corporate communications. After that, I worked as a digital marketer. One part of the job I really enjoyed was social media management. That role helped me understand data and insights. You could see how people interacted with campaigns, analyse the numbers, and understand what strategies were working.<br />
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