Seven years ago, I had the privilege and honor to convene the 2016 Africa Summit on Women and Girls in Technology (Africa Summit), bringing over 200 women who work at the intersection of technology and public policy.
Descending upon one of Africa’s vibrant cities, Accra, Ghana, as the epicenter of this groundbreaking event that ushered a bold framework for advancing digital equality and mainstreaming gender in ICT policies. The transformative impact of this three-day experience in 2016 and subsequent convenings in 2018 and virtually in 2021 still resonates in the digital inclusion and gender equality work led by many summit participants and supporters.
The Accra Summit Action Plan, which gave birth to the REACT framework for mainstreaming gender in ICT policies, remains a testament to the power of consultation and commitment to empowering women and girls in technology, demanding that we address systemic barriers and policy failures keeping women offline by focusing on Rights, Education, Access, Content, and Targets (REACT).
Delegates, representing 32 countries from across the continent, shared stories of challenges, resilience, success, innovation, and aspirations for an inclusive future for women and girls in technology. The sense of community fostered by this first and subsequent convenings has sustained this network of women in tech, from discussions to interventions inspired by their own thought leadership, collaboration with others, mentorship, and collective activism to advance inclusive digital development.
#TechWomenAfrica: starting from discussions
With many participants lamenting on the opportunity to be in a gathering with so many other women in tech, a rare moment in their careers, they drew inspiration from each others’ shared struggles and successful stories as trailblazers in a sector with a glaring gender gap. Their journeys underscored the importance of creating spaces for women to reflect on their experiences in tech, co-learn from each other, collaborate and strategize to unleash and harness their collective power as leaders and innovators in digital technologies.
Surviving institutional changes and a global pandemic, the Africa Summit on Women and Girls in Tech, and its resulting #TechWomenAfrica network seeded a people-centered movement whose impact continues to grow and flourish through bold initiatives led by African women in technology. The summits rippled far beyond the declarations and closing ceremonies, sparking a wave of change that promises to transform communities and inspire a generation of girls in technology—we look forward to sharing and highlighting these in the near future.
Looking back, the inaugural Africa Summit on Women and Girls in Technology is a testament to the power of harnessing our collective action, putting gender at the center of digital development. It showcased the strength that arises when we adopt a consultative approach putting women and disadvantaged populations at the front and center of our efforts for inclusive digital development.
Even as we celebrate the anniversary of these convenings and their accomplishments, we are also reminded that the journey toward gender equality remains a challenge—in fact, according to the 17th edition of the Global Gender Gap Report, “at current rate of progress,” it will take 131 years to reach full parity. In digital technologies, the persistent digital gender gap is further exacerbated by the lack of gender-segregated data to accurately measure the problem. Despite this, with the spirit and determination witnessed in Accra in 2016 and 2018 and online in 2021, we can confidently imagine a future of technology in Africa that is bright, inclusive, and driven by the brilliance of women and girls in all their diversities. I am pleased to invite you to reconnect and reengage with each other through an online network, let’s come together to rekindle and reimagine future impactful convenings of this incredible network of #TechWomenAfrica.
Former Summit participants, we’d like to know where you are in your tech and/or tech policy journey and how we can reconnect and support each other. Please answer this short survey.
About GDIP
The Global Digital Inclusion Partnership is a coalition of public, private, and civil society organizations working to bring internet connectivity to the global majority and ensure everyone is meaningfully connected by 2030. Founded by a global team of experts who successfully championed affordable and meaningful connectivity around the world, GDIP advances digital opportunities to empower and support people’s lives and agency, leading to inclusive digital societies.