
After the TechWomen Cameroon Delegation, in March 2024 I made a side trip to Nigeria to visit the TechWomen Fellows there. Private side trips, or as we sometimes call them, mini-delegations, have been an unofficial part of TechWomen since the start. My first mini-delegation was in 2013 with my daughter Jessica Dickinson Goodman when we visited Lebanon. Jessica and I also went on a mini-delegation to Palestine and Gaza in 2016. TechWomen is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. I helped design this mentoring program in 2010-2011, so it is very important to me. I am grateful to Binta Moustapha, Fatima Abdulaziz Sule, Rumana Kabir Aminu, and the remarkable TechWomen Fellows team that invited TechWomen Mentor Kathy Giori and me to visit them in Abuja, Nigeria for the 2023 Tech Community Impact Week.
Getting to Nigeria is painful. Visas are exceptionally difficult and frustrating to secure and after many months of effort, I only received mine the day before I left. However, once in Nigeria, people are welcoming and generous and there is much to do and learn. I learned that we arrived in Nigeria at a difficult time when fuel prices were very high so I was grateful that the inspiring TechWomen Fellows were able to drive us or find drivers for us to get around. I am grateful that the dedicated and persistent Fellows were able to put together our presentations and visits despite these hardships. I would love to visit them again to see more of their amazing country.






















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