Female professionals looking to establish themselves within tech-focused industries are not given equal rights and opportunities to fully participate in building society.

This is according to Ugandan social entrepreneur and technology advocate Eunice Baguma Ball, author and founder of UK-based social enterprise Africa Technology Business Network (ATBN), who has just released a new book called Founding Women, described as a collection of first-hand accounts of women who defy the odds to build successful businesses in technology.

Ball says the resilience of these women, despite the constant obstacles they face as entrepreneurs, is a common theme throughout the book.

"Running a business is tough for anyone. But when you read these stories of women who have to deal with all the usual challenges to setting up and running a business, in addition to constantly having to navigate challenges like being overlooked when it comes to investment or business deals and having their abilities questioned simply because they are female, it makes you realise just how much more powerful they are as individuals and what a force of nature they are together," she said.

"They key thing I hear is that women entrepreneurs are not asking for any special favours. We just want a level playing field to succeed. They simply want equal opportunities, equal access, equal treatment. Many of these women have worked extremely hard and are extremely good at what they do and they deserve to be treated as such and have access to support and resources."

Ball says gender inequality continues to be a pressing issue world-wide, particularly in male-dominated sectors like technology where women face systemic barriers – specifically, when it comes to key influences like investment.

She cites figures published by Fortune.com and fastcompany.com which state that out of the US$85 billion invested by venture capitalists in 2017, only 2% went to women, and less than 1% to black female entrepreneurs.

"Someone shared a story with me recently of two female founders who created a fictional male co-founder in order to gain funding. The women sent an email and got no response from investors, but when they emailed under a man's name, they got a lot of interest. So this perception that if a business is led by a woman, it will not be as successful, the opposite of which is true by the way - is really something that needs to change."

"I think society as a whole is missing out if we do not fully harness the talents and expertise that women bring to the table. There is a wind of change blowing across what was once male dominated sectors including STEM, where a lot more women and girls are being given opportunities to study and make a living in technology," she adds.

#HerFutureAfrica

Through ATBN, Ball has initiated the #HerFutureAfrica training and mentorship programme to help women and girls to develop their ideas into businesses that make use of technology and create a positive impact in their community.

"To date we have supported 32 young women in Ghana through the programme and their initiatives have impacted the lives of over 300 women and girls. We've seen that giving young women access to tools, support and network opportunities can really have a huge impact in unlocking the potential they already possess," Ball adds.

ATBN is UK-based and focused on the promotion of sustainable development in Africa through technology innovation and enterprise.

Ball says the fact that the organisation is based abroad places it in a unique position to link global expertise and resources, some of which she believes remain in short supply because Africa's technology industry is still young.

She adds that all proceeds from sale of the book will go towards ATBN's training and mentorship programme for young female entrepreneurs in Africa.

Based on the organisation's interaction with the market, Ball says while it's not necessarily focused on tech-centric roles, Rwanda has stood out as a solid example of an African country that is progressive in championing the role of women.

"The release of this book is timely especially as the world marks International Women's Day. We must recognise that the playing field is not even for all women. African women in tech are not often visible particularly as we are so under-represented in the sector. Founding Women is about highlighting role models to show girls and young women across Africa and the world, that technology is for them and that they too can become technology entrepreneurs if they want to. The book also speaks to a much broader audience because ultimately these women's stories can teach us all something about going for our dreams and not giving up", says Ball.

Ultimately, Ball believes there is a lot of rhetoric around women's empowerment, but there needs to be less talk and more action in removing barriers and truly harnessing te potential of women.