Troglodyte 🇬🇭

The most dangerous thing an ambitious person can do is walk away from a guaranteed path. Years ago, Ethel Cofie(@ethelcofie) was on a trajectory most people only dream of. She had earned a master's degree in Distributed Systems in the United Kingdom, sitting as the only female in her specialization. She was building a formidable career, gaining global experience as a business and systems analyst. And then, she made a decision that defied all conventional logic. She packed up her comfortable life in London, shipped her belongings back to Ghana, and kept it a total secret. She did not even tell her parents until her boxes arrived, knowing they would call her insane for leaving. She returned to Accra with one audacious goal: to build her own software company. And she failed miserably. Building technology in London was one thing; building it in Ghana during a time when the market barely understood it was a different reality entirely. She had no clients, she did not know how to sell, and she burned through all her savings. Most professionals would have buried the failure and retreated to a corporate boardroom forever. Ethel called it a learning curve. She realized she needed to learn how to sell and build a local network, so she strategically reentered the corporate world, taking a role as the Head of Commercial Solutions at Vodafone Ghana. She mastered her weaknesses, built a customer base, and then she struck again. She launched EDEL Technology Consulting(@EDELTechnology). This time, she operated with lethal precision. EDEL grew into a powerhouse, securing clients across West Africa and Europe, and taking home the title of IT Consulting Firm of the Year in Ghana. But winning in business was not enough. As Ethel navigated executive meetings, she realized that corporate promotions and business deals were often conducted over golf and beers. The men had their clubs. The women with the talent were present, but they were completely isolated. So, she built them a home. She founded Women in Tech Africa. What started as a desire to create a "girls' club" evolved into the largest women in tech group on the continent, boasting members across more than 30 countries. She engineered the first Pan African Women in Tech virtual meetup and orchestrated Women in Tech Week, a global event touching over 10,000 women. Her impact caught the attention of the world. She became a Mandela Fellow for President Obama's Young African Leaders Initiative. She was shortlisted for the UN GEM Tech Award. She was featured on CNN and the BBC. And then Michelle Obama delivered the ultimate verdict: "Ethel Cofie is a blessing to her generation". Today, somewhere in Accra, a young woman is stepping into a tech space for the very first time. She might be nervous, but she does not have to fight the battles Ethel fought. Because one woman was brave enough to lose her savings, rebuild her empire, and leave the door wide open behind her.

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