Florence Toffa, CEO of Mobile Web Ghana and a 2016 exchange alumna of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, is the first to admit that “technology alone cannot solve any problem.” But, she says, “It’s when different people identify how they can use [technology] to improve their lives that gives it value.”
Toffa, who is also a founder of the Females in Mobile Entrepreneurship project (FiME), is passionate about using technology to solve local problems. She was one of four technology entrepreneurs who joined Embassy Accra for Tech Camp Bolga, a two-day event that leveraged technology to educate and engage underprivileged deaf youth and adults and provide them the tools they need to pursue their entrepreneurship goals.
In developing countries, 80 to 90 percent of people with disabilities of working age are unemployed.[1] Tech Camp Bolga was an event that aimed to reduce that number, promoting private sector growth and the development of marketable social media skills for people with disabilities.
As Toffa told participants at #TechCampBolga: "In the age of technology, the playing field has been leveled. You don't have any excuse now. The device you have, your mobile phone, should be used as an instrument of empowerment.”
Thirty-seven students from two schools for the deaf in Ghana participated in Tech Camp Bolga. They received training on how to use their mobile phones and social media tools to create, manage, and grow their businesses.
Participants were also trained in photography and how to use technology to enhance their communication and interaction with society. In addition, participants learned about free apps, such as Wordpress, Snapseed, Ava, and other tools.
In addition to her role at Tech Camp Bolga, Toffa is one of seven women engaged in designing and offering female empowerment programs for young Ghanaian women, to address serious sexual harassment and sexual violence issues in Ghana. She works with two female police superintendents, a psychologist, a university student who is a rape survivor, and two staff members at Embassy Accra to teach young women about mentorship and about the importance and value of female support systems.
Thank you, Florence, for making a huge difference in your community!