Two Women Build Fintech Careers After Non-Tech Degrees

Two women are proving that your degree doesn't define your career, especially in Africa's booming fintech sector.

Bukola Alawiye studied English language. Busola Oluwatobi earned degrees in biological sciences. Today, both women are building successful careers at Redtech, a Nigerian fintech company, with Alawiye shaping products and Oluwatobi building the teams behind them.

Alawiye's path started in corporate communications, where she noticed technology's role in everything from marketing to business operations. Her curiosity pushed her to ask questions, leading her from digital marketing to product management. "That zeal to understand how products are built and how they create value for users pushed me into product management," she explains.

Oluwatobi took a different route. After her biology degrees, she knew she wanted to solve business problems. She started from the bottom with an internship at an HR consulting firm, then set up an entire HR department for an oil and gas company. When she wanted to work with younger tech professionals, she made the leap into fintech.

Both women see progress for African women in tech, but they want more. Alawiye notes the industry has moved past the myth that tech is only for men. Now the focus needs to shift to ensuring organizations hire based on capability, not gender.

Oluwatobi dreams bigger. "Imagine a future where the top five tech companies in Africa are led by women," she says. At Redtech, they're working toward that vision with intentional goals to improve gender balance in executive leadership.

The Ripple Effect

Their stories are creating pathways for other women considering tech careers. Redtech currently has 60% male and 40% female representation on their executive team, and they're actively working to strengthen those numbers. The company's commitment shows how individual journeys can transform into organizational change.

The message is clear: curiosity and determination matter more than your degree title. Women across Africa are watching these pioneers and seeing what's possible when passion meets opportunity in the tech ecosystem.

From English literature to product management, from biology to HR leadership in fintech, these women are rewriting the rules about who belongs in technology.