The African woman in the technology ecosystem

There is a need for more African women to get involved in the continent’s technology and innovation space. According to a report from the African Development Bank Group , women in Africa are more economically active (in agriculture and entrepreneurship) than women in other parts of the world. This is one proof that African women can contribute meaningfully to society intellectually, mentally and in other ways.

Females make up about half of Africa’s population; and given that Africa's challenges are so many and multifaceted, it is simply not practical to bypass this percentage of the population in the search for solutions.

Women have been known to bring value to the tech world, and some schools of thought have even opined that including women's perspectives when building technological innovations lead to the creation of more effective solutions. One of the other advantages of involving more women in tech and innovation is the potential to reduce poverty – the tech space has opportunities that African women can key into to get financially empowered, thereby reducing poverty in families.

To encourage women to come into and stay in this field, an enabling environment needs to be created – and this is where AfriLabs comes in. AfriLabs , the largest network of technology and innovation hubs in Africa has continued to demonstrate a commendable commitment to diversity and inclusion in the work place.?Beyond having several female staff and leaders in its secretariat, AfriLabs , in collaboration with some partners has trained several women (and men) in business, through the AfriLabs Academy. Also, during the recently concluded 2022 AfriLabs Annual Gathering that took place in Lusaka, Zambia with the theme, “Intra-Africa collaboration, connectivity and innovation,” some sessions and a dinner, specifically focused on improving the lot of women in the tech and innovation space were held, supported by partners such as GIZ Make-IT in Africa and VC4A among others.