Kenya joined the worldwide group on twenty fourth April, 2025 in marking Ladies in ICT Day beneath the theme, “Ladies in ICT for Inclusive Digital Transformation.” By means of a webinar organized beneath the Digital Platforms Kenya (DigiKen) programme (which is funded by the Joint SDG Fund) and led by UN Ladies in collaboration with Pwani Technogalz and the Northern Innovation and Empowerment Hub (NieHub), the digital session served as each a celebration and a name to motion. The discussion board aimed to bridge the gender digital divide and empower women and younger girls to take the lead in an more and more digital world.
Regardless of strides in training and expertise, international statistics paint a regarding image. Ladies account for less than 28.2% of Science, Expertise, Engineering and Arithmetic (STEM)-related jobs regardless of comprising 35% of STEM graduates. The disparity is much more acute in Africa, the place simply 30% of the expertise workforce is feminine, in distinction with a 61% feminine labour-force participation fee in Sub-Saharan Africa based on UNESCO’s Cracking the Code Report.
In Kenya, these challenges are compounded by digital poverty, societal norms, and restricted entry to mentorship. Though the nation’s expertise sector is rising quickly, girls occupy fewer than 30% of ICT roles, and based on GSMA Cell Gender Hole Report 2024, solely 35% of girls use cellular web in comparison with 50% of males. These gaps mirror systemic obstacles that proceed to hinder the total participation of girls and women within the digital house.
The webinar, designed to spark ambition and construct digital confidence amongst women, introduced collectively change-makers, rising technologists, and mentors. The occasion blended highly effective tales of resilience with sensible pathways to digital empowerment.
Mary Wanjiru, Ending Violence Towards Ladies and Ladies Unit Staff Lead at UN Ladies Kenya, delivered the opening remarks, emphasizing the transformative potential of digital innovation for ladies and women. “Digital innovation has the ability to drive employment and entrepreneurship, notably for ladies and women,” Mary stated, urging stakeholders to prioritize funding in women’ digital expertise and dismantle systemic obstacles.
Joan Nabusoba, co-founder of Pwani Technogalz, led a session on Mentimeter, paying tribute to pioneering girls in expertise, resembling Ada Lovelace and Katherine Johnson. “Our mission is to equip younger girls with the talents to be on the coronary heart of the digital economic system, and we start by celebrating their potential,” Nabusoba shared.
Sumaya Nyasege, a cybersecurity knowledgeable and alumna of the African Ladies Can Code Initiative shared how entry to digital instruments and mentorship reshaped her journey. “I wished to go additional mile and enhance my expertise however couldn’t afford it—till I obtained the possibility on the code camp,” Nyasege recalled, crediting mentorship and digital entry for her success within the expertise house.
The occasion additionally showcased tales of digital empowerment from Kenya’s marginalized areas. Fatuma Dubow, founding father of (NieHub) in Garissa County, recounted her journey from having no technical background to turning into a catalyst for change in her group. “I knew women wanted an area to develop,” she stated, underscoring the significance of mentorship alongside technical coaching.
A 3-minute documentary was performed that highlighted the tales of younger women, every sharing how digital entry remodeled their confidence, defied conventional gender roles, and opened doorways to training and careers that when felt out of attain.
Konji Viola, a younger software program engineer, spoke about her journey on the 2020 CODAC Hackathon, the place her group developed a cellular software to assist casual girls merchants in the course of the COVID-19 disaster. “Expertise have to be rooted in actual lives and inclusive designs,” she emphasised, stressing the significance of community-centered innovation.
Meysun Rashid, a graduate of NieHub, shared her expertise breaking stereotypes in her conservative group by digital expertise coaching and mentorship. “I’m right here to rewrite the narrative—expertise is for everybody,” she affirmed.
In his closing remarks, John Okande, Programme Officer at UNESCO Kenya, concluded the occasion with a imaginative and prescient for digital inclusion: “Empowerment begins the place connection grows. After we raise one another, share our information, and consider that no voice is just too small to form the longer term.”
Okande urged younger girls to actively have interaction in mentorship networks and digital studying platforms, whereas additionally commending ongoing efforts to fight technology-facilitated gender-based violence, a persistent barrier that continues to silence too many voices within the digital house.
All Joint SDG Fund programmes are led by UN Resident Coordinators and applied by the businesses, funds, and programmes of the United Nations growth system. Particular recognition to the European Union and the Governments of Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Eire, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland for his or her invaluable contributions to driving transformative progress in the direction of attaining the SDGs by 2030.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN Ladies – Africa.
