Neema: Academic who inspires girls to break the glass ceiling

QUESTION: Did you know where you wanted to be?
ANSWER: I wanted to be an engineer due to the fact that I was good in mathematics  from my early years of primary and secondary school. Indeed, my parents and teachers told me engineering would suit me. Later on, I realised the world is moving to a digital economy where science and technology - particularly computer science - would be the main driver. Then I switched to computer science and technology - specifically Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence.

Please tell our esteemed readers about your experience over the years...
In the past, careers in science were male-dominated. This state of affairs was fueled by society’s views that science professions  - such as engineering - were not suitable for women. I remember even in schools, girls who opted for science subjects were referred to as ‘boys’. So this attitude discouraged me; but at least I had parents and teachers who supported my choice. The same attitude continued in university and even at work. The glass ceiling is one of the biggest challenges hampering many women from attaining their academic and professional goals. It’s normal to find people doubting the capabilities of a most qualified woman in a certain managerial or leadership position simply because of her gender.

What is your leadership style? And how did you find out about it?

I’ve always preferred - and actually practised - transformational and participative leadership styles. Simply because I like to inspire and empower others to also become leaders. But, also, it’s good to encourage and engage people you lead in order to make them feel included, as well as motivate them to become tomorrow’s leaders. So participatory leadership is very important.
Gender diversity and not prioritising the development and retention of women in leadership positions: There are so many companies in our country that are not prioritising developing and retaining great women leaders. “In an African setting, women were discouraged - and, at some point, were not allowed to become leaders. So, from the family level, this culture found its way to the companies. That is why you find men occupy top management positions in many companies.”

Did you ever receive any form of support or mentoring as you moved along?

My parents and teachers played a very big role in this,. They pushed me to work hard - and, most importantly: helped me to find my career path. Prof Burton Mwamila and Dina Machuve played a big role in believing in me, these people usually gave me critical feedback and ‘picked me up’ when I fell. They set a very good example for me to follow in helping and supporting others - particularly girls - to attain their goals.

In your view, why are there fewer women in STEM career in Africa?
This is due to several reasons which discourage girls from studying science and - it involves gender bias and community perception. So, I created BakiShule to address this problem in ways that predict the drop out status and as an initiative, BakiShule arranges visits and organises events and free talks in secondary schools with the aim of promoting STEM careers and encouraging girls to study science from an early stage.
“BakiShule - which uses data on school attendance, distance, gender and other factors to predict the dropout status of a student - is a tool that can serve as an early warning sign and, therefore, teachers and parents can intervene early to save the situation”.
Statistics show that school dropout rate is higher for girls (30 percent) than for boys (15 percent). Through these events, girls participate in different activities - such as science fairs, watching short documentaries of outstanding women scientists - to show them that it can be done.

Why are women not rising to the top?

There are many factors that lead to women not rising to the top of leadership positions. One big issues is the culture; our culture doesn’t put the woman in front.
Another is the community’s perception of women. For many years, people believed that women cannot be top leaders, final decision makers. So, glass ceilings and stereotyping are the biggest barriers.

What are the steps to empower girls and women to leadership roles?
The first step I would say is to encourage and build confidence in girls from an early age that they can be great leaders. Also, to engage those in leadership positions from the beginning - e.g. ‘Class Monstress’ - as well as to show them women with big leadership positions who will help to inspire them and serve as their role models. Women also need to prove the community wrong. Whenever given a chance to lead, they need to show the world that they can do so. Through this, slowly people will change their perception. So, self-confidence, hard work, support from other women, etc, will help women to excel in leadership.

Can you tell us more about self-care, and how do you accomplish it as a leader?
I think this is a very important aspect overlooked by many. Self-care is not being selfish; it helps you to do better; achieve more. I always practise self-care to sustain my energy and motivate myself to keep moving through life and have resilience in hard times.
For example, when I have difficult decisions to make, I always go out for a jog or a run to clear my head - and, when I get back, I’m fresh and I can think straight. So, self-care strategies are very important for leaders who want to do better - and achieve a lot more than what is expected of them.