It comes as no surprise that the world of Information Technology tends to be male dominated. Regina Agyare broke the IT glass ceiling years ago when she was hired as the only female IT consultant in an International Bank in Accra. Following her success, she has gone on to set up a Social Enterprise- Soronko Solutions which caters to the needs of small businesses and individuals. The uniqueness of Soronko Solutions lies in its aim of encouraging and teaching girls to be more involved in Technology and its focus on driving social change
Regina’s drive and determination has earned her a number of recognition and one of the most recent one is her nomination for the GUBA RLG Development Award. This nomination serves as a feat as she was selected out of a number of applicants and currently competing against other great nominees.
GUBA gives the platform to Regina Agyare to tell us more about herself and her work…
Tell us about the premise behind your business
I believe that Technology is the future and a great tool to help fight poverty and develop communities and economies. Soronko Solutions uses technology to drive human potential and to develop Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SME) in Ghana.
Our proceeds go towards the development of affordable software solutions to help grow the businesses of SMEs. We go to rural areas and introduce children to a supplementary curriculum which involves conducting experiments and an apprenticeship program. We teach girls how to code and create technology.
As a social enterprise, we aim to provide children in rural areas with the skills necessary to solve their recurring problems and to make sure that young girls are not left out of the opportunities technology has to offer.
How does it feel to be nominated for the Development award and what would winning mean to you?
I feel really honoured and privileged to be nominated for the Development Award. The support motivates me to keep doing what I am doing. To win such a prestigious award would mean a lot to me and would be great recognition and endorsement of my work.
What do you think about the GUBA Awards?
GUBA award is a great initiative and platform to celebrate excellence and showcase the wonderful work that people across different industries are doing in Ghana and the UK. When we celebrate change makers in different fields it allows them to keep doing what they are doing and they serve as role models for others. It allows a wider platform for people to meet, network and collaborate. I also love the GUBA Foundation’s work with autism.
Where does your motivation come from?
I am a proud Ghanaian and I love Ghana therefore, I want to see it develop and for those in the rural areas to be a part of the solution. I want to rewrite not just Ghana but Africa’s story, instead of the single story and perception that Africa is just a continent of war, poverty, famine and diseases. I want it to be a continent of innovation and scientific and technological advancement. These things serve as daily motivation for me.
Do you have any plans of expanding your business?
I have already started to expand by potential collaborations and providing software solutions for clients in Mali and Nigeria. I have also formed relationships with social enterprises in LA, Brazil, New Zealand, Mexico and South Africa and have started talks on scaling my social change project in these countries.
Are you involved in any other projects?
I am working on helping small and medium scale enterprises take advantage of online commerce. I am building online stores that run on web and mobile so that individuals who are starting businesses do not necessarily need to have an actual store. My team and I are working on a web and mobile application that will convert text and speech to Ghanaian Sign Language, so that the deaf can integrate better in the community
What message would you give to aspiring and upcoming entrepreneurs?
I would advise upcoming entrepreneurs to never give up, learn from failures and celebrate their success. Most importantly they must make sure they are providing a service that satisfies a need or solves a problem. They must also surround themselves with a great team and people that support them and will help them attain their vision.
Do you have anything else you would want to add?
I want to thank GUBA for creating this platform for all the wonderful nominees in the development category to share their work. I believe we are all winners. I am proud to be a nominee. Win or lose it is honour to even have been nominated.
This ambitious young woman has demonstrated that being bold and going for what you want gets you closer to your dreams. This ambition and drive is the very reason why she has been nominated for the GUBA RLG Development Award.
To vote for Regina Agyare visit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/development-award
Visit http://www.soronkosolutions.com/ for more information on her work.
