As the visionary behind Web3Ladies and the co-founder of Crevatal, Oluchi Enebeli is actively shaping the Web3 landscape while striving to bridge the gender divide in the industry.
Enebeli pursued a degree in Mathematics at the University of Benin, aiming for first-class honours. When that goal slipped through her fingers, the setback hit hard. The disappointment was so intense that she couldn’t bring herself to return home.
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Determined to carve out a new direction, she remained on campus and unexpectedly found her way into technology. Initially, she believed tech was limited to desktop publishing and graphic design, as blockchain engineering wasn’t even on her radar. She considered taking networking courses and earning a Cisco certification, but financial limitations made that impossible.
A turning point came when her local church hosted a WordPress training. She decided to give it a try, and that single decision sparked her passion for web development. This newfound interest led her to secure an internship at Crenet Tech Labs in Lagos.
While at Crenet Tech Labs, she heard about a blockchain hackathon. At the time, she had no understanding of blockchain, but curiosity drove her to explore. The deeper she delved, the more captivated she became. She soon realised that blockchain was far more than just cryptocurrency—it was a game-changer for transparency, governance and financial empowerment.
This discovery unlocked opportunities she had never imagined. She participated in more hackathons, built relationships with key figures in the field, and eventually landed a blockchain engineering role at Sterling Bank. Her journey then took her to renowned global brands like Binance, Crypto.com and Nestcoin.
“Blockchain opened new doors of opportunities and possibilities for me. As a blockchain engineer, it makes an impact on your finances. It made me more financially literate,” she told Tech Next.
As Oluchi Enebeli advanced in the industry, she noticed a glaring issue—women were significantly underrepresented in blockchain engineering. In many teams, they made up just 2–5% of the workforce. Recognising the urgent need for change, she launched Web3Ladies in 2021, a community designed to equip African women with the skills necessary to excel in blockchain and Web3. Her vision was to introduce 100,000 African women to the industry.
In 2022 alone, Web3Ladies trained over 2,000 women through mentorship initiatives. Many participants developed real-world projects, secured employment and even launched their startups.
Today, Web3Ladies has grown into a thriving community with over 153,890 members spanning Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and Uganda. It has provided access to 25+ essential work tools and facilitated the development of 24 projects led by women in the network.
The initiative is also making strides in universities, aiming to introduce young women to blockchain at an early stage. Additionally, Web3Ladies is establishing a talent pipeline, enabling companies to directly hire female blockchain engineers trained within the community.
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