Pioneering Women in Blockchain: Deborah Ojengbede Raised $1 Million in One Day | The Guardian Nigeria News

Deborah Ojengbede, Founder and CEO of AFEN NFT Marketplace, is one of the pioneering women in the Web3/Blockchain space. In a continent where women’s participation in socio-political-economic enterprises is sometimes underestimated and overshadowed, it is worth celebrating her achievements in an effort to inspire young Africans.

In 2021, at just 29 years old, Deborah raised $1 million in just one day to fund Web3 startups. She retired as a business analyst at a top Nigerian bank, after just five years, before venturing into the blockchain space. Her journey symbolizes curiosity, commitment and the genuine desire to see a change in our motherland. Our energetic but economically weak continent needs more of her caliber.

In a recent interview with MoveMint, she shared insights into her background, entry into the blockchain space, thoughts on the future of NFTs, blockchain adoption in Africa and the challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated industry.

Background and entry into Blockchain

Deborah’s background is in traditional banking and finance, where she worked in various roles across business development, project management, strategy and innovation. Her interest in Blockchain started when she saw the potential to transform the financial industry, especially in emerging markets such as Africa.

Deborah’s first exposure to the technology was through Crypto, the first tool of the blockchain. As CEO of a blockchain project, she focuses on creating opportunities for African creators and Web3 startups looking to get started.

She notes:

“My first exposure to Blockchain was through Crypto. I was fascinated by the idea of ​​a decentralized and trustless system for financial transactions. As I learned more about the technology and its potential applications beyond just cryptocurrency, I became more and more interested and got finish my first building in the blockchain area.”

The future of NFTs and benefits for corporate organizations

NFTs represent real-world assets such as art, music, in-game items, and videos. They are unique digital assets or collectibles, created using Blockchain.

“I think the future of NFTs is very promising, especially as we continue to see more use cases beyond just digital art,” predicts Deborah. “For corporate organizations, NFTs offer a new way to engage with loyal customers and even investors.“

NFT’s inception opened a new door for artists to protect and control their works while accessing the global marketplace without third parties. This technology is essential for African creatives to protect their work and achieve sustainable benefits.

Blockchain adoption in Africa

Although blockchain adoption in Africa is one of the fastest in the world, some factors stand in the way of integration. The continent still needs to do a lot to exploit the intrinsic value of technology.

Deborah sees the prospects for African governments using blockchain technologies to drive economic growth and development; however, it requires a concerted effort to create supportive policies and infrastructure to enable widespread use.

She says:

“I think there is definitely potential for African governments to leverage blockchain technologies to drive economic growth and development. However, it will require a concerted effort to create supportive policies and infrastructure to enable widespread use. There are already some promising signs, such as the growing interest in digital currencies among African central banks and the launch of several blockchain-based projects in various African countries. We also see major players like Binance taking the lead in facilitating global partnerships with governments to drive this.”

Africa continues to catch up with blockchain adoption from a utility perspective. Nonetheless, Deborah argues that as more awareness comes in about the potential of blockchain to drive economic growth and development, we will see more participation and uptake across the continent.

Web3 and data ownership

Web3 strives to fix the broken internet to enable users to own their data while sharing the revenue accrued. The economic freedom this in itself provides for Africans can be enormous. Consequently, Africans must prepare for the paradigm shift and position themselves adequately. Fascinatingly, Deborah believes that Africa is definitely ready for this concept.

“There is a growing awareness among African consumers and businesses of the importance of data protection and ownership and the potential of blockchain to enable this,” she points out. “But there is still work to be done to educate and create the infrastructure and tools to enable this kind of widespread use.”

Therefore, African leaders need to do a better job of understanding the technology and the policy formulation around it. The regulatory stimulus is the way to go.

Challenges for a woman in a male-dominated industry

Blockchain technology, just like any other technological field, has men monopolizing the station. In Africa, industry players have constantly discussed how to bring more women into the space and ensure no gender discrimination.

Early adopters of the technology will testify to how a few women graced Blockchain events. Regardless, it is heartwarming to note that the rise of initiatives like Ladies DAO is changing the narrative on the so-called dark continent, bringing more women to the ecosystem.

Still, as a woman in a space considered a male domain, she faces some challenges and biases. “I have definitely faced some challenges and biases, but resilience, hard work and determination have helped me overcome these challenges, she says.

Deborah believes that representation is important, which is crucial to the growth of any industry. For her, it would be great to see more women participating in the Web3 space.

Conclusion

Deborah Ojengbede’s insight into the future of NFTs, Blockchain adoption in Africa and the challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated industry provides valuable insight for anyone interested in the Web3/Blockchain space. As she continues to light paths in the industry, it will be exciting to see what she and other women in the sector will accomplish in the years to come.

Follow Frisco d’Anconia further Twitter to ask questions about Blockchain and Web3 technologies.