Toluwalope Omoyeni
How would you describe the work you do at Softcom? What are you most proud of?
I like to think that the work I do at Softcom is multifaceted. My job title is Lead, Corporate Communications, I manage external communications for the brand, tell stories about Softcom, its products and their collective impact, and make consistent efforts to answer the question “what does Softcom do?”. My work at Softcom also means that I’m an ambassador for the brand and my proudest moments are those where I preach the Softcom gospel so fluently that when I’m done, people ask me how I’m so invested in the company. My answer usually is “if you worked here, you’d be an evangelist too. We do great work”.
When you picture a gender-equal world, what do you see?
My vision is blurry and it has so much to do with the recent happenings in Nigeria’s National Assembly. It’s hard to picture a gender-equal world when the lawmakers in my home country just threw out bills that would have sealed equal representation for women in politics. We have a long way to go and I honestly can’t see past these hurdles.
What would access and inclusion look like for you in the Africa Softcom is trying to build?
We are creating products that solve everyday problems for Africans and if we took time to probe the roots of most of our problems as humans, we’d see that they’re tied to lack of access and exclusion. Bridging these gaps, as Softcom is doing right now, would amount to a general improvement in the lifestyle of men, women and children. Imagine a world where everyone, regardless of their social status, has access to financial services and financial education that helps them to manage money better, we would be on our way to reducing poverty. I say this because I am of the opinion that poverty is not necessarily the lack of funds, it starts with the mind and goes on to mismanagement of available funds. And isn’t that what our bank is trying to solve? Whoop whoop!
How did you get into the tech environment?
I am genuinely not so into this whole tech craze. I cringe when people call me tech sis. Don’t get me wrong, the tech ecosystem has enormous potential to transform this country in many ways, however, I don’t want to be part of that whole tech bro/sis identity frenzy. My point is this: there’s no cool story behind how I got into the tech environment.
What do you do for fun?
I sleep, eat (yes, eating makes me so happy. you should see my food time dance moves), and party. I’m so basic, lol!
Tell two truths about yourself and one lie.
I’m bi-curious. I’ve never been to Abuja. I could be indoors for weeks as long as I have internet, food and my phone.