Ashesi alum, Regina Agyare ‘05, has been named one of four Change Leaders joining the Tigo Reach for Change’s 2013 incubator programme, which helps social entrepreneurs build innovative ideas geared towards improving the lives of children.
Regina will receive $75,000 in funding over the next 3 years, as well as coaching and mentorship from Tigo, to grow her social enterprise Soronko Solutions.
Soronko Solutions, started by Regina in 2012, currently funds and manages two social impact programmes: Tech Needs Girls (Ghana) and Growing Stems. Tech Needs Girls is a technology and mentorship programme that targets young girls and aims to encourage them to explore careers in computer science, as a means of bringing gender balance to the technology industry. Growing Stems also seeks to provide youth in deprived areas of Ghana with critical thinking skills and hands-on learning using technology tools that they would otherwise have been unable to access. Soronko Solutions also develops affordable technology for web, mobile, point of sale devices and ATMs, among others.
"The award is an opportunity to ensure that the social projects Soronko Solutions is engaged in is able to scale sustainably,” Regina said. “Soronko Solutions as an organization will work with mentors from Tigo to ensure that it uses the best business practices to accelerate social change."
Regina graduated from Ashesi as one of the best students, and the only woman, in her Computer Science class, and took a job in I.T Banking, where she was also the first and only woman in her department. After six years, Regina moved to start her social enterprise, through which she hopes to promote social development through technology.
“As a woman in I.T, I have had to learn to assert myself, communicate and be heard in an area dominated by men,” Regina said. “Now that I have a voice, I am making sure I speak for those who can’t, especially women.”
Regina is an Aspen New Voices Fellow, where she serves as a Development Expert. She has also been featured on Lean In, a foundation started with Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, which is focused on encouraging women to pursue their ambitions and change the conversation from what they can’t do to what they can do. Regina’s story has also been featured on the Impatient Optimist, Regina is also a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community and is also a GOOD Fellow.