For decades, Jane Egerton-Idehen has been one of the few women working at the heart of Africa’s technology and telecommunications ecosystem. Trained as an electronics engineer at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, she has spent her entire career in technology, moving through satellite engineering, telecoms, multinational tech firms, and executive leadership roles across Africa and beyond.
Her professional journey began at Spar Aerospace, a satellite integration company, where she completed her industrial training. From there, she joined Ericsson, followed by Nokia Siemens Networks, Avanti, a satellite company, and Meta (formerly Facebook).
Today, she is MD/CEO of Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), Nigeria’s national satellite operator.
In a conversation with Techpoint Africa, she discusses building a career in technology: how the right skill sets and competence can translate into making money.
How much did you earn in your first tech job?
Even back then, people in tech tended to earn slightly above average. This was around 2001. As a corps member, I earned about ₦36,000 monthly, which was significant at the time, considering the government allowance was about ₦11,000.
Because I worked as a Satellite Engineer, I ran shifts 24/7 operations, and shifts came with allowances. When I ran shifts, my take-home pay could be close to ₦80,000 because the hourly rate was higher. So I was earning several times what the government paid corps members.
I didn’t do it primarily for the money. I was curious and eager to learn. It was a new sector, and I wanted to immerse myself fully. My colleagues and managers noticed my hunger to learn and kept giving me more responsibilities.
I worked during the holidays as well because people would ask me to cover their shifts. So even though I worked very hard, I earned quite well for a corps member. And even today, I believe tech still offers not just a base income but opportunities for additional or passive income.
How easy was it to enter the tech industry at the time?
It was quite tricky because tech hadn’t evolved the way it has today. The thriving sectors were oil and gas and banking. Engineers wanted to work in oil and gas, and when they couldn’t, they went into banking because it paid well.
Manufacturing existed, but it didn’t pay much. Many engineers went straight into banks or even sales just to make money. Looking back, there weren’t many jobs, and there was a lot of bias.
Companies would openly state requirements like “must be 25 years or below” or “first class only.” Those HR practices were unprofessional, but they were common.
Tech jobs were few and very competitive. However, I joined when the telecom sector was about to take off. Telecom companies had just bought licenses and were building infrastructure, so they were looking for talent.
My company supported MTN by backhauling traffic through satellites. So telecom companies were interested in anyone with satellite experience and started poaching our talent. So a lot of tech people started going into the telecom sector because it was just about to take off. That’s how I found myself in the telecom sector, and the sector grew rapidly.
How would you describe your career progression, particularly in terms of income growth?
The telecom and ICT sector has been one of the fastest-growing sectors in Nigeria over the past two decades, contributing hugely to GDP. So yes, we were making money.
When I moved to Ericsson, I was paid very well. In fact, I was earning almost the same as before, including shifts. So I didn’t move because of money. I moved because I wanted to work for a multinational and grow my career. I wanted international and local training, as well as more options.
When I started at Ericsson, I was ranked higher than many others based on my experience and certifications. I was earning more than everyone, and they were all male. But a few years later, I found out they were earning more than me.
Later, when I entered motherhood, my career progression slowed significantly. That worried me because I was still pushing myself and delivering. I returned to work three months after childbirth and continued traveling.
Despite the effort, the outcomes didn’t match my performance, especially compared to my male colleagues. That’s when I realised promotions aren’t always linear or logical. There’s a lot of emotional and social intelligence involved.
The workplace wasn’t structured with women (especially women with children) in mind. Before COVID, flexibility wasn’t available. Working from home or adjusting hours wasn’t an option.
Once I identified this challenge, I started looking for solutions. I learned the importance of being visible, speaking up, and talking about my work. Many women prefer to just deliver and let their work speak for itself, but that often isn’t enough.
I made hard decisions. I left a job because I kept being denied a promotion, and nine months later, they came looking for me.
Are there other challenges you faced?
One of the biggest challenges was getting into management while I was childbearing. There was a lot of unconscious bias. People made decisions for me without involving me—assuming I couldn’t relocate or take on certain roles because I was married or had children.
No one asked me if I was open to the opportunity. I remember being asked things like, “Is your husband aware this job is in another country?” Of course, he was. We discussed it.
Management roles in multinationals often require relocation, but for women, people subconsciously make those decisions on our behalf.
What advice would you give to people trying to increase their income or enter tech?
I didn’t chase money; I chased opportunities. When you go for challenging opportunities that lead to growth, the money comes naturally.
In the first four to five years of your career, don’t chase money, chase competence. Chase skills and knowledge. Later, people will pay you for that competence.
That approach worked for me. When I eventually negotiated, I had leverage. I could walk away, and I did. They came back later, and when I returned, it was on my own terms.
