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African Girls Can Code: Second phase of initiative begins

 

UN Women and the African Union Commission (AUC) have launched the second phase of the African Girls Can Code Initiative in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.  

The organisations are collaborating with International Telecommunication Unit (ITU), United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (Uneca).

The four-year programme is designed to expose and equip at least 2,000 young girls aged between 17 and 25 with digital literacy, coding and personal development skills to become programmers, creators and designers.

“The gender and science, technology, engineering, and maths (Stem) agenda is timely and an urgent priority precisely because digitalisation offers vast potential for women and girls to end poverty to improve education, health and agricultural productivity and create decent jobs,” said Zebib Kavuma, the UN Women deputy regional director for Eastern and Southern Africa.

The initiative, which has been running since 2018, uses a “spark interest” approach, which seeks to nurture young girls to develop interest in coding and make career decisions early.

With financial support from the Belgian government, the second phase will be implemented in 11 countries, namely Burundi, the DR Congo, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda.

“Evidence has shown that empowering women and girls through ICT benefits whole communities. Greater access to digital technology and skills helps women gain new opportunities, which include pursuing their education, starting new businesses, selling products in new markets, securing better jobs and participating in public life among others,” said Zlatan Milisic, UN Resident Coordinator in Tanzania.

Barriers to involvement in Stem

ITU’s  2021 report on digital trends in Africa reveals a significant gender gap on the continent, with percentage differences of up to 14 per cent in countries like Guinea. Averagely, 20 per cent of women, compared to 37 per cent of men, used the Internet in Africa in 2019. This divide entrenches gender inequality and denies women and girls full empowerment.

Speaking during the launch, Ms Kavuma said the gender gap in Stem careers is striking, with reports showing that women account for only 28 per cent of science researchers, while their male counterparts dominate the field with 72 per cent.

“Covid-19 further highlighted the gender digital divide and showed that many women are unconnected to different kinds of technologies. Family responsibilities, which make it difficult to attain a work-life balance; social patriarchal attitudes; unfavourable work environments and remuneration; and biased stereotypes about their competencies are some of the challenges cutting across the continent that curtail women and girls’ participation in Stem,” said Ms Kavuma.

Despite digital spaces opening doors of opportunities and information for young women and girls, they also increase their vulnerabilities to online abuse, false information and gender-based discrimination that is disempowering them every day.

“In 2020 a report by plan International was released titled Girls and Young Women's Experiences of Online Harassment demonstrated how girls are being silenced online by severe levels of harassment that are targeted at them due to their gender and other intersecting attributes like race and disability. There is therefore an urgent need to address the barriers to girls and young women's access and opportunities to technology across Africa,” she said. 

Required interventions

Ms Kavuma urged member states and other stakeholders to continue working closely together through concrete relevant programs that put African girls at the centre of the initiatives.

“Designing sustainable initiatives that empower girls through training and mentorship will encourage them to pursue leadership positions in science careers.  We need to also identify the barriers that prevent them from pursuing STEM careers and promote a gender responsive STEM education which recognizes and responds to the specific learning styles and needs of girls,” she added.

Mr Milisic called for increased investment to guarantee the safety of women and girls online and to broaden the evidence base and availability of data on adolescent girls’ access to and use of digital technology.

“Collective efforts and targeted measures from civil society, governments, development community and private sector can ensure equal opportunities to education, dismantling of discrimination and stereotypes and empowerment of young girls,” he concluded.    BY DAILY NATION  

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