Nuha Al-Mousawi: Breaking Barriers In Iraq’s Tech Industry

Born in 1996 in Najaf, Iraq, Nuha Al-Mousawi’s journey from a curious child to a successful entrepreneur in the male-dominated tech industry is nothing short of inspiring. Despite being born into a family of doctors, Nuha’s passion for technology manifested early in life.

As a young student, Nuha’s interest in technology blossomed. In 2008, she shadowed a teacher who designed textbooks, picking up valuable design skills including Photoshop. Her father, noticing her inclination, arranged for her to learn from an employee who worked with computers, leading to her mastery of Microsoft Office by high school.

When I was learning Microsoft Office, I felt curious about how clicking a button does what it does. I was curious to know the mechanism behind it. This was the biggest motivation I had for learning programming and tech, to make a button that does something.

Nuha Al-Mousawi

Nuha did not have access to the internet during her first two years of college, so she relied on CDs that included downloaded encyclopedias and videos to enhance her educational experience. Some of those videos talked about the lives and careers of tech giants such as Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, their stories and reliance on self-learning inspired her own. When she finally gained access to the internet in 2015, her self learning journey became much easier, having diverse resources and social media groups for programmers at her disposal.

Despite her efforts, Nuha graduated without the practical programming skills demanded by the Iraqi job market. “They only taught us the basics in college,” she explained. “I hadn’t even heard of backend and frontend development in college”.

In 2019, Nuha graduated from college and began working at Al-Kafeel, a prominent private company in Najaf. She was the only woman in a team of five male programmers. Although they had all graduated from the same college with the same level of education, she noticed that her male colleagues had more experience because they had more training and internship opportunities. Adding to her challenges, she was given a purely administrative role where she couldn’t utilise the programming skills she had worked so hard to learn. Instead of feeling discouraged, she asked her colleagues a lot of questions and absorbed as much knowledge from them as she could.

During this time, Nuha attempted to launch her own company, GreenCode, with a team of four female graduates. However, the venture failed due to lack of experience, mentorship, and a clear roadmap, leaving Nuha to reflect on the lessons she had learned.

Throughout this time, she was volunteering at Google Developer Group (GDG) Najaf, which taught her many soft skills in networking, teamwork and professional communication. This prompted her to start sharing her experiences on Instagram, a decision that would propel her career in the future.

After two years of being limited to administrative tasks at Al-Kafeel, Nuha finally fostered the courage and demanded to be involved in programming. She was given a test project by her supervisor to prove her skills, but just as she was about to finalise it, her son became seriously ill forcing her to take a three month leave to care for him. When she returned to work, she was devastated to discover that her project had been given to a new employee, who completed and submitted it under his own name. This experience left her feeling betrayed and discouraged.

Turning Point and Freelancing Success

In 2021, an unexpected opportunity arose when a client, mistaking her volunteer work with Google Developer Group for employment at Google, requested her to create a website. This project became a turning point in Nuha’s career. She requested a long execution period, enrolled in multiple paid courses, and embarked on a cycle of learning, researching, and applying. At last she submitted the project and the client was very satisfied.

It was one of the proudest moments of my life. I had finally achieved my childhood dream of finally creating a button that works.

Nuha now faced a crossroads. Should she stay at her secure administrative job, especially in a country with rising unemployment rates? Or should she take a risk by quitting to follow her passion as a programmer? 

Nuha’s decision to pursue programming full-time was met with blatant discrimination. “One company flat out told me, ‘we don’t hire girls,’ while another, which was in dire need of programmers, said, ‘Why would we hire a girl when we have male candidates?'”

This experience led Nuha to realise that she needed to create her own opportunities and market her personal brand rather than relying on traditional employment. Seeking a fast and effective solution, Nuha reached out to a marketing agency to shoot a video promoting her company, GreenCode. However, after posting, the video led to no leads. Nuha quickly analysed the issue and started researching how freelance programmers marketed themselves on social media

“I reached a bunch of conclusions: first, you have to explain your service to people before you start selling to them. Also, people connect better with a human, not a brand or business, so when you tell them your story, they engage with it more than just a posted ad,” she explained. These insights led Nuha to switch from brand marketing to self-marketing, promoting herself rather than GreenCode. This approach helped her build a more authentic relationship with her audience. However, her venture into self-marketing came with challenges, including her family’s reservations about sharing personal aspects of her life publicly

Undeterred, Nuha transformed a section of her house into a makeshift studio. “I spent some of my budget to turn one corner of my house into a setup, and I started filming educational content for those who want to get into the field of tech,” she said. Her perseverance paid off. After consistently posting content, orders started pouring in, and Nuha felt she was finally on the right track

Nuha successfully relaunched GreenCode which garnered a good reputation among clients in Najaf. This influx of orders was both exciting and overwhelming for Nuha, so she decided to recruit other programmers to keep up. Today, GreenCode is a team of four programmers. The company now specialises in custom-made tech systems, filling a gap in the Iraqi market.

“We evaluated that the Iraqi market needs custom-made tech systems,” Nuha said. “One of our proudest projects is creating an integrated system for companies”. Nuha sees GreenCode expanding its services to other cities, aiming to become the go-to provider for custom tech solutions in Iraq.

Nuha’s success has inspired many women facing similar challenges. She actively encourages women to pursue careers in technology, emphasising the growing demand for tech skills in an increasingly digital world.

Looking ahead, Nuha plans to expand GreenCode’s services, including the launch of a System as a Service (SaaS) platform. “It will allow clients to create their own online stores while activating digital payments,” she explained.

Nuha Al-Mousawi’s journey exemplifies how determination, self-belief, and adaptability can overcome societal barriers and lead to success in the tech industry. Her story continues to inspire the next generation of women in technology, proving that with passion and perseverance, it’s possible to turn challenges into opportunities for growth and innovation.