VATISWA GILIVANE: Bridging a multilayered gender tech-divide

With the rapidly increasing demand for digital tech skills globally, advanced knowledge and acumen in digital technology is becoming a necessity to operate competitively.

Africa is at a critical stage of development and the increased uptake of digital transformation has step-changed opportunities for emerging markets to compete in the global arena. Africa primed: the new frontier for highly skilled tech workers and women must not be left behind in this digital skills boom.

The UN theme for International Women’s Day 2023 is “DigitALL: Innovation & Technology for Gender Equality”. Society must elevate the role of women in driving innovative solutions for the continent’s most pressing challenges. The gender divide among software developers is one of the starkest in the digital economy.

By increasing the representation of women in institutions creating solutions to Africa’s biggest problems, companies must help bridge the multilayered divide that exists in who gets to influence the economy and those who get to benefit from it. 

The increased participation of women at the helm of technological advancements that solve real social and economic issues in Africa can only improve if this is done quickly and efficiently. More women software engineers leads to innovation that prioritises women and includes women-specific data where it is missing in the resource-ecosystems of local markets and the global economy.

Innovation is the driving force behind the development of any new technology. Large global institutions such as Google have demonstrated diversity in the workplace, allowing teams to develop more innovative ideas and tackling problems through multiple perspectives.

We foresee a near future in which women will lead the projects that create solutions for communities, cities, countries and the virtual world. They will be at the forefront of Africa’s trajectory into the fourth industrial revolution.

The need to close the gender gap in technology in Africa is critical; it is time to change the status quo and give women across the continent the power they need to lead the world’s technological revolution.

The private sector has a pivotal role to play here. For example, in recognition of International Women’s Day career accelerator ALX has launched an all-women cohort — in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation they are providing fully sponsored placements to women with the aim of equipping software engineering skills to 50,000 women in Africa.

By providing women with more opportunities to achieve excellence in driving the global economy forward, we are creating more diverse and innovative workspaces where technology can be taken to new heights in solving Africa’s problems, and women should be at the helm of this revolution.

Though there have been improvements in the gender gap in science, technology, engineering & mathematics (Stem) education, there are still disparities. In Sub-Saharan Africa women make up just 28% of those seeking Stem careers, according to the UN Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organisation (Unesco). This is less than the 30% average for the world.

There are gender-specific problems in Africa that can be solved by more women in Stem, especially in the arena of software engineering and the closely related field of data analytics. Africa has huge gaps in data collection and processing, which hinder the ability of government and institutions to provide the services that cater to society more effectively and holistically.

Women being more involved in the development of software that drives change through solving society’s problems can only lead to this happening sooner.

A woman’s viewpoint, a woman’s brain, and a woman’s voice are essential to developing answers for the world of tomorrow. We must work tirelessly to embrace and empower women throughout Africa to reinvent the table rather than just take a seat at it.

• Gilivane is recruitment manager at ALX SA.