Hauwa in a cafe in 2015
Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2025 8:26 am
On Hauwa’s wish list is to help African countries access software and technology in their local languages. She says: “It’s part of identity, respect and appreciation of different cultures, rather than expecting everything to be translated word for word from English. It’s about enabling older people to use software or published content.”
Hauwa learned Hausa (a language spoken in several African countries) and English simultaneously in her home in Nigeria. She, like her parents, was educated in different places, studied and worked in different countries. At 16, Hauwa took up computer science as a hobby, not realizing that it would become an important part of her working life.
She was planning to go to university to study finance whatsapp number list and sociology. When she left her computer science class, the teacher asked her what she was going to do. Upon hearing her plans, the teacher said, “You don’t want to do this, you want to do something in IT.” This conversation was a turning point for Hauwa. She went on to study Computing and Information Systems and Object-Oriented Information Systems for a master’s degree in the UK.
In her second year at university, she also worked with data entry technology and related areas, determined to learn as much as she could about different areas. After completing her Masters, she chose a job that allowed her to work with systems, their support, project management, supply chain and procurement. She is a proponent of learning as many related subjects as possible to gain a broad set of tools to really understand what customers need and how to help them achieve appropriate and timely solutions. These skills have proven useful in the years since, allowing her to find time to support WordCamp conferences, meetups and the Training Team. She says: “Open source project participants come from a wide range of professional and cultural backgrounds. Being involved in a project is a great way to share your skills and keep them relevant and open to new learning opportunities.
Hauwa learned Hausa (a language spoken in several African countries) and English simultaneously in her home in Nigeria. She, like her parents, was educated in different places, studied and worked in different countries. At 16, Hauwa took up computer science as a hobby, not realizing that it would become an important part of her working life.
She was planning to go to university to study finance whatsapp number list and sociology. When she left her computer science class, the teacher asked her what she was going to do. Upon hearing her plans, the teacher said, “You don’t want to do this, you want to do something in IT.” This conversation was a turning point for Hauwa. She went on to study Computing and Information Systems and Object-Oriented Information Systems for a master’s degree in the UK.
In her second year at university, she also worked with data entry technology and related areas, determined to learn as much as she could about different areas. After completing her Masters, she chose a job that allowed her to work with systems, their support, project management, supply chain and procurement. She is a proponent of learning as many related subjects as possible to gain a broad set of tools to really understand what customers need and how to help them achieve appropriate and timely solutions. These skills have proven useful in the years since, allowing her to find time to support WordCamp conferences, meetups and the Training Team. She says: “Open source project participants come from a wide range of professional and cultural backgrounds. Being involved in a project is a great way to share your skills and keep them relevant and open to new learning opportunities.