Opportunities in technology have long been out of reach for many Nigerian girls, but Abisoye Ajayi‑Akinfolarin is changing that reality. Her vision is to ensure that girls see technology not as a distant field but as a space they can shape and lead. Through her initiative, Pearls Africa, she equips young girls with digital skills, mentorship, and confidence, proving that access and opportunity can transform futures.
Born in Ondo State, Abisoye’s childhood was marked by hardship. She lost her mother at a very young age, and she often speaks about growing up with a survival mindset. When she was 10, she visited a business café run by her brother’s friend and experimented with a computer for the first time. That early encounter set the course for her life. She later interned at an IT audit firm and realized that computer programming “just flows” for her, it was always about solving real problems.
She founded the Pearls Africa Foundation in 2012 because she saw how deeply girls were left out of the tech conversation.
As she told The Guardian,
“I believe you can still find diamonds in these places. They need to be shown another life.”
She launched programs like GirlsCoding, G.C. Mentors, GirlsInSTEM, and Empowered Hands, training girls aged 8 – 18 in programming, robotics, and leadership.
In her interview with CNN, she said,
“We want girls to be creators of tech, not mere users. Watching girls who had never touched a computer before build apps and design solutions is mind-blowing. The joy on their faces, that’s more than money. I can’t buy it.”
Her impact stretches beyond coding. One of her most important innovations is the Guardian Co‑Learning Model, where parents, especially mothers, learn alongside their daughters. This model builds emotional support and ensures that learning is truly sustainable.
Under her leadership, Pearls Africa girls have built real projects to serve their communities: an e-commerce platform for fishermen in Makoko, an advocacy tool to raise awareness about female genital mutilation, and an app that links surplus resources to vulnerable households.
Abisoye’s work has received global recognition. She was named a CNN Hero in 2018, and featured among the BBC 100 Women for her impact in that same year. For her, accolades are not the goal, they are a sign that her message is resonating: technology should be a path to economic independence and social change.
Reflecting on her journey, she says she wants every girl she trains to know that “regardless of where they are coming from, they can make it.”
Her life shows that vision combined with courage can change lives. She demonstrates that creating opportunities where none exist, believing in the potential of young people, and nurturing their talents can reshape generations. Her story reminds us that when women lift other women, entire communities benefit, and the future is reimagined.
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