Some people follow technology. Others, like Khadijat Abdulkadir, build it, and use it to change lives.
From growing up in the United States tinkering on her first computer at just nine years old, to leading groundbreaking digital projects across Africa, Khadijat’s journey is as inspiring as it is transformative.
She didn’t just want a career in tech, she wanted impact. From founding INGRYD Group and INGRYD Academy to creating initiatives that empower women and train thousands of professionals, Khadijat has consistently combined skill, vision, and heart to solve real problems.
Her story is full of bold moves, lessons learned from failures, and moments where determination met opportunity in the most powerful ways.
What makes her journey relatable, and deeply inspiring, is her human-centered approach. She shows that technology alone isn’t enough, real change comes from people, culture, and opportunity.
She’s building Africa’s tech ecosystem not just for today, but for the next generation of innovators who will shape the continent’s future.
In this interview, Khadijat opens up about her path from tech enthusiast to entrepreneur, the lessons she’s learned along the way, and the vision that keeps her building, mentoring, and inspiring.
CA: Khadijat, you’ve built a career spanning software engineering, public service, and entrepreneurship. Take us back to the beginning, what first sparked your interest in technology?
Khadijat: I wouldn’t say there was a single moment when my interest in technology was sparked. Technology has always been part of my life.
I had my first computer at a very young age, around nine, and from early on, I was using technology not just to consume but to create. I took courses after school, experimented with different tools, and spent time bringing ideas to life.
Growing up in the United States, technology was embedded in everyday life, so my early exposure made it feel natural rather than aspirational.
As I matured, my decision to pursue a career in technology was shaped by the organisations and systems I admired. Companies like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and others represented scale, impact, and the ability to build products that transformed industries.
At that stage, success meant being part of those environments, building applications, systems, and platforms that operated at a global level.
The most defining shift in my journey, however, came when I made the decision to relocate to Africa. That move reframed how I thought about technology entirely.
It was no longer just about participating in large systems, but about using my expertise to contribute meaningfully to the continent’s technology ecosystem.
I realised I wanted to be a builder, not simply a contributor within someone else’s organisation. I wanted to create products, platforms, and institutions that expand access to technology and directly impact lives.
That decision marked my transition into tech entrepreneurship and remains the most purposeful choice I have made in my career.
Technology was never a question for me, but choosing to build intentionally in Africa, and to do so at scale, was the moment that truly defined my path.
CA: That’s amazing, Khadijat! So, as the Founder of INGRYD Group and INGRYD Academy, what problem were you most determined to solve for African youths when you started, and how has that mission evolved?
Khadijat: When I decided to build as an entrepreneur, I was very determined to create strong, transformative products. At that point, my motivation was clear.
I wanted to build products that worked, products that scaled, and products that could meaningfully drive digital transformation, particularly within financial services.
Banking platforms and financial technology felt like powerful tools for inclusion and systemic change, and I was committed to building in that space. That determination, however, quickly met reality.
As I began building and taking products to market, it became increasingly evident that no product, no matter how well designed, can succeed without the right people behind it.
The real challenge was not vision or ambition, but the availability of competitive talent capable of building, scaling, and sustaining these products over time.
In more mature technology ecosystems such as the United States and India, strong human capital pipelines are foundational.
These ecosystems are supported by engineers, designers, and system builders who are trained, tested, and ready to execute at scale.
On the continent, however, we often found ourselves compensating for talent gaps, even importing skills, despite the depth of untapped human potential available locally.
That realisation marked a turning point for me.
My work began to shift from building products alone to addressing the structural issue beneath them: talent development at scale.
The objective became broader and more systemic, closing critical skills gaps, strengthening pipelines, and ensuring that African products can be built by Africans, for Africa, and for the global market.
Today, my work is grounded in a clear conviction. Sustainable digital transformation is not driven by ideas or products alone.
It is driven by people who are well prepared, continuously developed, and supported within strong systems. That belief now shapes everything I build.
CA: It’s clear your vision is about more than just technology. Speaking of people, INGRYD Academy has trained over 4,000 individuals, what has that journey been like? Were there any mentors who guided you along the way?
Khadijat: When I reflect on my journey with INGRYD, I would be remiss not to acknowledge the people and the ecosystem that carried it and me forward.
INGRYD is my third startup. Before it, I had built two other businesses, one of which failed. Every meaningful success I have experienced has been shaped by those earlier attempts and, more importantly, by the people who invested in me along the way.
I am not a green entrepreneur. Before founding INGRYD, I spent over a decade working in the corporate technology sector, and that experience fundamentally shaped how I approach leadership, structure, and growth.
Over the years, I have been fortunate to be supported by a strong network of mentors, former bosses, colleagues, investors, board members, and business partners, each contributing guidance at different points.
Some taught me how to think about finance and governance, others helped me understand scale within the African context, while many reinforced the importance of patience, people management, and long-term thinking.
Even those I observe from a distance have played a mentoring role by shaping how I think about leadership and impact.
Because of that collective support, INGRYD has grown beyond a single founder’s effort. While the Academy is often referenced for having trained over 4,000 individuals, the broader impact is much larger.
To date, INGRYD has reached over 25,000 people, certified more than 10,000 individuals, and supported the placement of over 4,000 professionals into meaningful roles.
We have also partnered with large, credible organisations that continue to invest in the vision and growth of the platform.
That journey has reinforced a simple truth for me. No institution is built alone. INGRYD exists today because of an ecosystem of mentors, partners, and collaborators who believed in the work, challenged my thinking, and supported its evolution. Their influence continues to shape how we build, scale, and measure impact.
CA: Wow, that ecosystem sounds incredible. Now, the deployment of the Nigerian Police Cooperative platform and the launch of the Nigerian Police Digital Bank were major milestones. What challenges did you face, and how did you navigate them?
Khadijat: The deployment of the Nigerian Police Cooperative platform was a major milestone for me because it marked a significant shift, both professionally and personally.
It was the work that brought me back to Nigeria after many years of building technology in the United States and Europe.
By the time I returned, building technology itself was not new to me. It had been my daily work for years. What was new, however, was the context.
Joining Africa Prudential and having the opportunity to work on technology for the Nigerian Police introduced a profound cultural shift, and that became the most defining challenge of the project.
I have learned that while technology is largely consistent across borders, culture is not.
The real complexity lies not in the technology stack or the engineering process, but in designing systems that align with how people think, work, and adopt change.
In this case, the challenge was not the technology itself, nor the teams building it, but understanding the people we were building for.
A significant part of the work involved learning how end users perceived technology, what level of automation they were comfortable with, how quickly they could adapt to change, and how receptive they were to new systems and to me as the person driving that change.
Navigating those dynamics required patience, listening, and a deep commitment to understanding context rather than imposing solutions.
Over time, those efforts paid off. I also observed a notable shift in adoption and perception, particularly between the pre-COVID period and the years that followed.
From around 2019 to 2021, there was a marked change in how people engaged with technology, greater openness, increased confidence, and a stronger willingness to adapt.
That experience reinforced a belief I still hold today. Technology is rarely the problem. The true work lies in understanding people, culture, and readiness for change.
When those elements are addressed thoughtfully, technology can do what it is meant to do: enable progress.
CA: Khadijat, your journey has clearly shaped your leadership. How did your experiences influence your approach to building tech solutions in Africa?
Khadijat: One of the most important skills I have carried with me over the years is the ability to adapt across cultures. Culture plays a significant role in how people think, work, and respond to change.
It is dynamic, constantly evolving, and deeply influential in every environment.
Growing up as the daughter of a diplomat, adaptability became second nature. Moving between countries, learning new languages, and adjusting to different cultural value systems were part of everyday life.
Over time, that exposure shaped one of my strongest leadership capabilities, the ability to observe, listen, and adjust quickly without losing direction.
As my career progressed, I found myself rising into senior roles within large, global organisations made up of highly diverse teams.
Leading people across different backgrounds, mindsets, and expectations was not new to me by the time I returned to the continent.
That experience gave me confidence and clarity in how I lead, particularly in complex and unfamiliar environments.
Returning to Africa, however, presented a different kind of challenge. While I expected shared identity to make trust easier, I found that earning trust within familiar cultural contexts can sometimes be more complex.
Building credibility, encouraging buy-in, and guiding people through change required patience, empathy, and consistency.
Fortunately, my earlier experiences had already prepared me for that reality.
I had learned how to negotiate trust, how to listen deeply, and how to give people the time and space they need to understand and accept change.
Those skills became especially important when building solutions for African contexts.
I would not describe the work as easy, but it was deeply informed by empathy and observation. Understanding readiness, managing expectations, and responding thoughtfully to feedback became central to my approach.
Change management, more than technology itself, proved to be one of the most critical tools I relied on.
That perspective continues to shape how I lead today. Technology succeeds when it is introduced with cultural awareness, patience, and respect for the people it is meant to serve.
CA: You’ve also launched Digital African Woman, empowering women across Africa and Europe. What inspired this initiative, and what impact are you most proud of?
Khadijat: Digital African Woman is very personal to me. It is over ten years old now, and it remains one of my longest-standing and most meaningful initiatives.
The idea was born during my time in Europe, when I had the opportunity to attend a parliamentary assembly at the European Parliament in Brussels. At the time, discussions were centred around the digital agenda.
What struck me immediately was that conversations about technology, inclusion, and the future were taking place with very limited representation, particularly of women, and even more so of women of colour.
Although I was not European, I found myself in the room. Initially, I questioned whether the conversation truly included me, but I made the decision to raise my hand and speak on behalf of women and women of colour.
I was surprised by how well my contribution was received. Not only was I listened to, but I was later invited to contribute further. That experience stayed with me.
It became clear to me that representation matters deeply. When women are present in decision-making spaces, their voices are not only valid, they are welcomed.
Digital African Woman was inspired by that moment, not by demanding a seat at the table, but by recognising the power of taking it when the opportunity arises and contributing confidently.
With the support of the European Parliament and the European Union, Digital African Woman was established to ensure that African women were not only present in these conversations but actively shaping them.
Over the past decade, the initiative has gone beyond representation to driving real change, challenging narratives, influencing dialogue, and opening doors.
What I am most proud of is the shift in perception it helped create, particularly for Black women in the diaspora.
Digital African Woman demonstrated that participating in spaces like the European Parliament, contributing to policy discussions, and influencing digital agendas was not only possible but necessary.
I believe the initiative played a meaningful role in broadening how African participation, especially women’s participation, was perceived within European digital policy spaces.
That remains the heart of Digital African Woman: representation that leads to influence, and influence that creates lasting change.
CA: Balancing leadership, entrepreneurship, and motherhood sounds intense. How do you manage it all, and what keeps you grounded?
Khadijat: I often think about leadership, entrepreneurship, and motherhood as deeply connected rather than separate roles.
At its core, entrepreneurship is about managing complexity, balancing time, juggling multiple responsibilities, thinking creatively, investing energy, and remaining action-oriented. Those same qualities apply across every part of my life.
I see myself first as an entrepreneur. From that place, I am an entrepreneur leader, an entrepreneur mother, and an entrepreneur woman in my community.
I do not approach these roles as fixed or rigid identities, but as spaces where innovation is required. I have learned not to force balance by doing everything in a prescribed way, but by finding creative ways to integrate the different parts of my life when necessary.
There are moments when all of these roles intersect, and I allow them to. Leadership, for me, is not confined to formal titles or organisational structures.
It shows up in how I lead myself, how I show up for my family, and how I engage with the communities around me. It is not about authority, but about responsibility, presence, and example.
Motherhood, in many ways, reflects the same entrepreneurial mindset. It requires constant problem-solving, empathy, adaptability, and creativity.
Showing up consistently, responding to needs, and ensuring that nothing essential is missing, those are leadership skills expressed in a different context.
Balancing all of this is not effortless, and I do not pretend that it is. What keeps me grounded is the understanding that entrepreneurs thrive by finding creative ways to navigate challenges.
That mindset allows me to continue building, leading, and nurturing, sometimes separately, sometimes simultaneously, without losing sight of what matters most.
CA: There’s often a belief that technology alone solves systemic problems. From your experience, what really drives successful digital transformation?
Khadijat: From my experience, the most consistent driver of successful digital transformation is change management, grounded in a clear understanding of culture.
Technology itself does not change significantly from country to country. What changes are the people, the environments they operate in, and the value systems that shape how technology is perceived and used.
Culture, mindset, and organisational behaviour play a far greater role in adoption than the tools themselves.
Digital transformation is ultimately about people, culture, and tools in that order. The tools are only effective if the people using them understand their purpose, feel confident adopting them, and see their value.
That requires talent, empathy, and a deep understanding of how different users engage with change.
When organisations take the time to understand their people, what motivates them, what they fear, and how they adapt, technology becomes an enabler rather than a disruption. That is where transformation truly succeeds.
CA: Looking ahead, what’s next for you and INGRYD Group?
Khadijat: The next phase for INGRYD is focused on scale and access. Our priority is to ensure that our courses, technologies, and training programs are available to people across the continent, regardless of location.
A major part of this next phase is expanding our examination centres. Certification matters. As technology continues to evolve, professional credibility and specialisation remain critical drivers of growth.
While training is important, certification provides validation, depth, and confidence, both for individuals and for the organisations that rely on their skills.
We are therefore placing strong emphasis on enabling more people to become professionally certified, particularly in specialised technology disciplines.
This allows talent to move beyond basic usage and into deeper, more impactful roles as builders, developers, and system contributors.
As we continue to invest in talent development, INGRYD remains committed to contributing meaningfully to the ecosystem by building capabilities that support the next wave of technological advancement across the continent.
CA: Finally, what advice would you give to young Africans, especially women, looking to build careers in technology?
Khadijat: One of the most important pieces of advice I give young people is to prioritise focus and discipline.
It is very easy to chase money, especially when there is pressure to succeed quickly. I understand the desire to improve one’s circumstances, but meaningful careers are not built overnight.
Anything built too quickly rarely lasts. Technology, in particular, rewards patience and long-term commitment.
The field will continue to evolve, but there will always be space for professionals who are deeply skilled and specialised.
Certain areas, such as cybersecurity, remain consistently relevant because, as long as technology exists, it must be protected. Depth of expertise never goes out of fashion.
My advice is to choose an area you are genuinely good at, build complementary skills around it, and stay committed. Becoming a true professional takes time, but it is deeply rewarding.
Over time, focus and discipline increase competence, confidence, and long-term value, and that is what ultimately leads to sustainable success.
CA: Looking back on everything you’ve built, what legacy do you hope to leave through your work at INGRYD Academy?
Khadijat: Earlier in my career, I might have defined success as building a great product. Today, I see legacy differently.
What matters most to me now is impact, specifically the impact on people’s lives.
I want INGRYD to be remembered for contributing meaningfully to human development on the continent, building capable professionals, strengthening the workforce, and enabling people to participate confidently in the digital economy.
If, years from now, people can say, “because of INGRYD, I became a professional,” or “because of INGRYD, I gained the skills and confidence to compete,” then I will consider that a true measure of success.
Hearing “because of INGRYD” followed by something positive is the legacy I care most about.
If INGRYD plays a role in expanding opportunity, improving livelihoods, and helping people realise what is possible for them, then the work has served its purpose.
