Before Stardom With… Abisola Areola

Abisola Areola, a data and digital transformation strategist and founder of Skills Co-op, has carved a unique niche in bridging the gap between emerging technologies and underserved populations. Her organization focuses on creating digital and artificial intelligence (AI)-based skills pathways for individuals overlooked by traditional labor markets. Areola's approach blends research with practical implementation, drawing on her experience over the past seven years managing digital and data initiatives in both the United Kingdom and Nigeria. She emphasizes that her interest lies not in whether technology functions, but in ensuring people are empowered to engage with it effectively. Areola’s career trajectory did not begin with a clear-cut ambition to enter the tech field. Instead, she was driven by observations of systemic inequalities in access to opportunities. This curiosity led her through several professional roles before settling on her current focus. Starting as a project manager, she gained insight into how complex systems are constructed and executed. This experience transitioned her into digital transformation, where she realized the challenges were often not technological but related to human factors and organizational change. This realization prompted her to delve deeper into data analysis, which she found to be the key to understanding and measuring these transformations effectively. Her inspiration in the fields of data analytics and digital transformation emerged from a sequence of experiences that highlighted the disconnect between technological capabilities and their actual application. As a project manager, she encountered repeated instances where organizations invested significantly in new technologies yet failed to achieve meaningful change. These encounters led her to explore data analytics as a means to uncover the reasons behind such failures. Through data, she discovered patterns indicating that while many organizations possess vast amounts of information, they often lack the ability to translate that data into actionable insights. A pivotal moment in Areola's career occurred during her leadership of a national telemedicine program in Nigeria. Initially, the project aimed to develop an app intended to revolutionize healthcare accessibility. However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the critical need for such services. Despite the potential impact of the app, Areola recognized its limitations, primarily, the disparity in smartphone ownership among Nigerians. While mobile network coverage extended to over 90% of the population, approximately 72% of adults lacked smartphones, and nearly 130 million remained entirely disconnected from the internet. This realization prompted Areola to implement an innovative solution: an interactive voice response system integrated with the existing app. By deploying this system across major mobile networks, she ensured that even users with basic phones could access essential healthcare services via a simple phone call. This initiative demonstrated her commitment to inclusive technology solutions that cater to the needs of marginalized communities rather than merely serving those already well-connected. Areola's journey reflects a continuous pursuit of understanding and addressing the gaps in technological accessibility and application. Her work underscores the importance of designing solutions that consider the diverse realities of end-users, particularly those traditionally excluded from mainstream technological advancements. Through her efforts, she aims to ensure that the benefits of digital transformation are equitably distributed, reaching those who stand to gain the most from such innovations.