Regina Honu Explained

Regina Honu
Birth Name:	Regina Fremah Agyare
Birth Place:	Accra, Ghana
Nationality:	Ghanaian
Education:	Holy Child High School Ashesi University
Occupation:	Social entrepreneur, software developer
Years Active:	2012–present
Known For:	Founding the Soronko Academy
Awards:	2017 Buffett Award for Emerging Global Leaders Women of Courage Award for Technology
Honours:	BBC 100 Women of 2017

Regina Honu (née Agyare), is a Ghanaian social entrepreneur, software developer and founder of Soronko Solutions, a software development company in Ghana.^{[1] [2]} She opened Soronko Academy, the first coding and human-centered design school for children and young adults in West Africa.^{[3] [4]} Honu has received multiple awards, including being named by CNN as one of the 12 inspirational women who rock STEM. She was also named as one of the six women making an impact in Tech in Africa and one of the ten female entrepreneurs to watch in emerging economies.^[5]

She has received attention with features on platforms such as CNN African Voices,^[6] BBC,^[7] Deutsche Welle,^[8] Aljazeera^[9] as well as the Impatient Optimist blog by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In an interview with CNN's African Start-Up, she is described as a Ghanaian tech guru who wants to develop the next generation of women in technology.^[10]

Honu's story was also published in Sheryl Sandberg's book Lean In.^[11] She was named as the 2016 Vlisco Brand Ambassador.^[12]

Early life and education

Born Regina Fremah Agyare, she attended Holy Child High School, Cape Coast, for her secondary education. She is an alumna of Ashesi University and a member of the 2005 class.^{[13] [14]}

Career

Soronko Academy

Regina Honu set up the Soronko Foundation in 2012, which brought about the Soronko Academy in 2017, to train children and young adults in coding, IT skills, human-centered design in Ghana, West Africa.^{[15] [16]} The academy was started to help young people especially women and equip them in technical and soft skills necessary to help them in the society and bridge the gender gap in technology.^{[17] [18]} It is the first coding and Human-centered design school for children and young adults in West Africa.^[19] By 2021, the programme is estimated to have trained more than 20,000 women and girls.^[20]

Tech Needs Girls

Honu started the Tech Needs Girls Ghana movement, which aims to train and educate more Ghanaian girls into studying technology-related courses. The movement is noted for teaching girls how to code.^{[21] [22]}

She runs the Soronko Academy, the first coding and human-centered design school in West Africa, in association with the Tech Needs Girls programme, which has trained more than 3,500 girls in Ghana and Burkina Faso.^[23]

Partnership

As part of World Autism Day 2018, Honu partnered with Autism Ambassadors of Ghana for an autism awareness session.^[24] The session helped to create awareness about autism and introduced an Autism Aid App that enable families of children living with autism to access information from experts on how to take care of these kids.^[24]

Personal life

She married in November 2015 and is now known as Regina Honu.^[25]

Awards and achievements

• Ashoka fellow^[26]
• She is an Aspen Institute New Voices Fellow^[27]
• A Mandela Washington Fellow (Young African Leaders Initiative)^[28]
• A member of the World Economic Forum community of Global Shapers^[29]
• Vital Voices VV lead fellow and part of the 100 exceptional women from the Vital Voices Global Leadership Network^[30]
• A GOOD Global Fellow^[31]
• She is a change leader with Tigo Reach For Change^[32]

• She recently won the 2017 Buffett Award for Emerging Global Leaders from Northwestern University.^[33]
• She was honoured as one of Coca-Cola 60 Young achievers with an outstanding performance in Technology^[34]
• She was then awarded the Big Six award from Coca-Cola Ghana for her incredible contribution in Technology.^[34]
• She won the 2016 Startup Entrepreneur of the year and her organization won the Social Enterprise Startup of the Year in the 2016 Ghana StartUp Awards.^[35]
• She also won the JCI Ghana Outstanding Young Person award for scientific and technological advancement.^[36]
• Her organization was nominated for the editor's choice award in the Women in IT award in the UK^[37]
• She was a finalist for the ITU African Digital Woman of the Year.^[38]
• She was awarded a Women of Courage Award for Technology^[39]
• She is on the project advisory board of the UN Committee for the Rights of a Child, helping to update the Convention for the Rights of the Child for a Digital Age^{[39] [40]}
• Tech Needs Girls was honoured in the 2014 Ghana CSR Diary Awards.^[41]
• 100 Women of the year 2017 by the BBC

See also

• • Timeline of women in computing 100 Women (BBC)

External links

• Soronko Academy

• KSM Show- Regina Honu CEO of Soronko Academy and her team hanging out with KSM
• Girls and Women Talking Tech Interview 35 - Regina Honu and Lily Edinam Botsyoe
• How Regina Honu is teaching thousands of girls how to create technology and code

Notes and References

1. Web site: Tech entrepreneur Regina Agyare . 26 March 2014 . . 10 April 2014.
2. Web site: Glitz top 100 inspirational women – Page 100 – Glitz Africa Magazine . 2022-05-28 . en-US.
3. Web site: Mphahlele. Thabo. Regina Honu, Soronko Solutions CEO. Biznes Africa. 8 February 2017. 8 February 2017.
4. Web site: Regina Agyare Chief Executive Officer, Soronko Solutions. SWIFT. 20 August 2017.
5. Web site: Soronko Solutions CEO Regina Honu thriving as Vlisco's 2016 Ambassador. 20 July 2016. Citifm Online. 20 July 2016.
6. Web site: Breaking down barriers for women in tech. 19 March 2014. CNN. 19 March 2014 .
7. Web site: Meeting Obama- Ghanaian entrepreneur speaks to BBCNewsday. 21 August 2017. SoundCloud.
8. Web site: Isaac. Kaledzi. Tech Needs Girls: equipping Ghanaian girls. 23 June 2015. DW.
9. Web site: Fighting sexism in science and tech. 7 October 2014. The Stream.
10. Web site: Breaking down barriers for women in tech. 19 March 2014 . 10 April 2014. CNN.
11. Web site: Regina Agyare. 10 April 2014.
12. Web site: Vlisco Ghana Unveils Ambassador 2016. 2016-03-21. Vlisco Women's Month. en-US.
13. Web site: CNN features Ashesi alumna, Regina Agyare '05 on 'African Start-Up' . iSpacegh . 10 April 2014.
14. Web site: Alumna Regina Honu '05 speaks on overcoming failure and creating impact – Ashesi University Foundation. 2021-01-29. en-US.
15. Web site: 2018-11-24. How Soronko Foundation championed women empowerment through Tech Needs Girls. 2021-01-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20181124001819/https://www.jbklutse.com/how-soronko-foundation-championed-women-empowerment-through-tech-needs-girls/. 24 November 2018.
16. Web site: A Message from Soronko Academy – Grimme Lab. 28 March 2017 . 2021-01-29. de-DE.
17. Web site: Soronko Academy partners Rotary Club of Accra & Limburgerhof/Vorderpfalz for girls coding project - MyJoyOnline.com . 2021-01-29 . Myjoyonline. . en-US.
18. Web site: Soronko Academy trains 50 women in digital skills - MyJoyOnline.com . 2021-01-29 . MyJoyonline. . en-US.
19. Web site: Soronko Academy partners MasterCard Foundation to launch Digital Skills Assessment Tools - MyJoyOnline.com . 2021-01-29 . MyJoyonline. . en-US.
20. News: Quartz Africa Innovators 2021: Female innovators lead the way . 27 September 2021 . . Yahoo . September 22, 2021.
21. Web site: iSpace Spotlight – Regina Agyare . 10 April 2014.
22. Web site: iSpace Spotlight – Regina Agyare The iSpace Foundation . 2015-08-01 . ispacegh.
23. Web site: Bridging the Gender Digital Divide in Africa. Master Card Foundation. 27 April 2017. 27 April 2017.
24. Web site: Soronko Academy partners Autism Ambassadors ahead of Autism App launch - MyJoyOnline.com. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20180926090028/https://www.myjoyonline.com/lifestyle/2018/march-19th/soronko-academy-partners-autism-ambassadors-ahead-of-autism-app-launch.php. 2018-09-26. 2018-03-31.
25. Web site: Olapoju. Kolapo. Regina Honu: I ended 2015 marrying the love of my life (30 days of Gratitude) - YNaija. 2016-03-21. YNaija. 26 December 2015. en-GB.
26. Web site: Ashoka Innovators for the Public. Ashoka. Ashoka. 1 August 2015.
27. Web site: Get to Know Regina . newvoicesfellows. 22 August 2017.
28. Web site: Meet the Fellows: Regina Agyare. yali state gov. 28 July 2014. 22 August 2017.
29. Web site: Regina Agyare . 2015-08-01 . Globalshapers..
30. Web site: Celebrating Girls and ICT: The Great Equalizer in Global Development. Vital Voices. 5 February 2017. 22 August 2017.
31. Web site: Simeone. Jennifer. How to Teach Technology to Girls: Advice from Ghana. msmagazine. 5 September 2013 . 5 September 2013.
32. Web site: Current Change Leaders / Alumni. Africa Reach for Change.
33. Web site: Buffett undergraduate affiliates select Regina Agyare Honu as the 2017 Buffett Award winner. Buffett Northwestern. 20 August 2017.
34. Web site: Karikari. Kwaku Boakye. Youth, major resource for government's transformational agenda – Minister. Gold Street Business. 3 April 2017.
35. Web site: Kwawu. Daryl. Echohouse Ghana Limited is Startup of the Year. myjoyonline. 13 May 2016.
36. Web site: Jotie. N. Sule. JCI TEN OUTSTANDING YOUNG PERSONS AWARDS-MOTIVATING EXCELLENCE. Government of Ghana. 21 August 2017.
37. News: Rossi. Ben. Women in IT Awards 2016 finalists revealed. 7 December 2015.
38. Web site: Girl. Ronin. The Ada Awards - Digital Woman of the Year. Digital Woman Award. 12 November 2013.
39. Web site: Young Legends of Inspiration- Regina Agyare. Ghana Talks Business. 21 August 2017.
40. Web site: Network. Digitally Connected. 21 August 2017.
41. Web site: Ghana CSR Diary & Awards 2014: Leading Socially-Responsible Companies Awarded. Modern Ghana. 9 May 2014.