A world that is free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated.
DotConnectAfrica in conjunction with Fempower aka Miss. Africa Digital wants to celebrate International Women’s Day today, 8 March 2023.
This year’s theme is DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality. We will join UN Women to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness about discrimination and take action to drive gender parity.
According to the United Nations, women in tech make up only 22 percent in the world.
From the earliest days of computing to the present age of virtual reality and artificial intelligence, women have made untold contributions to the digital world in which we increasingly live.
Their accomplishments have been against all odds in a field that has historically neither welcomed nor appreciated them.
Today, a persistent gender gap in digital access keeps women from unlocking technology’s full potential.
Their underrepresentation in STEM education and careers remains a significant barrier to their tech design and governance participation. And the pervasive threat of online gender-based violence coupled with a lack of legal recourse too often forces them out of the digital spaces they do occupy.
At the same time, digital technology is opening new doors for the global empowerment of women, girls, and other marginalized groups. From gender-responsive digital learning to tech-facilitated sexual and reproductive healthcare, the digital age represents an unprecedented opportunity to eliminate all forms of disparity and inequality.
We at DCA we have a purpose-driven approach to meeting our overall objectives of bridging digital divide via innovation. Sponsored by our Digital Academy, we run a Tech Booth Camp for youth and a yearly competitive Seed-Fund financial Impact Award Program, to women-led organizations throughout Africa, to encourage the involvement of women and girls in STEM fields and tech leadership.
The program has now been in 15 African Nations and has impacted over 10,000 women and girls, including the youth.
The pioneering women-in-tech Miss.Africa Digital Program aka Fempower is a gender-focused program targeted mainly at female youth audiences in Africa to increase their personal involvement in early technology use and adoption with a view to improving their digital self-awareness and empowerment and bridging the economic divide through employment and/or entrepreneurship.
It is one of the central pillars of DotConnectAfrica Group’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program to attract a sizable women and girls demographic of Internet users in Africa in complementary gender development initiatives that improve lives through digital inclusion.
This March 8, during IWD, we are calling on governments, activists, and the private sector alike to power in their efforts to make the digital world safer, more inclusive, and more equitable. Facing a multiplicity of global crises, we have a chance to create a better future not just for women and girls but for all humanity and all life on Earth.
Source: African Science News