Women in Senegal traditionally have few chances to acquire computer or
programming skills. A young woman from Dakar has set out to change
that. Binta Coudy De has created a tech hub, Jjiguene Tech Hub, that
trains young women in computer and programming skills, preparing them
for a career in the high-tech sector.
According the World Bank’s latest report on the state of Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) research in Africa,
African researchers produce only 1 percent of the world’s research. As
shown in this video, unlocking the talent of women and girls could
improve the quality and quantity of scientific research and tech innovation
in Africa.
Equal Skills, Equal Rights: Empowering Senegalese Women through High
Tech
Although Africa’s investment in girls and women in STEM has not
reached its potential, the world is already benefiting from some of the
continent’s high profile success stories:
Dr. Christine Mwelwa Kaseba-Sata is the First Lady of Zambia and an
internationally celebrated specialist in obstetrics and gynecology. She
spent over 25 years practicing medicine and has invested her last 15 years
as a lecturer at Zambia’s only medical school. In October 2012, Kaseba-
Sata was appointed as the World Health Organization’s Goodwill
Ambassador against Gender-based Violence.
Dr. Agnes Binagwaho is Rwanda’s current Minister of Health. Along with
economist Jeffery Sachs, she co-chaired the United Nations’ Millennium
Development Goal Project Task Force on HIV/AIDS and Access to
Essential Medicines. Dr. Binagwaho also serves as a senior lecturer at
Harvard Medical School’s Department of Global Health and Social
Medicine. She has been practicing medicine since 1986, and has now
contributed over 100 scientific publications.
Before Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma was elected as the first woman to
chair the African Union Commission, she was making her mark as one of
the continent’s biggest scientific actors. Since 1971, Dr. Dlamini Zuma
has earned degrees in zoology, botany, tropical medicine, child health, and
more. A champion for women’s empowerment, she has broken
occupational ceilings in both STEM and development.
Of course, this is only a snapshot of how far our girls can go, if they
receive the proper education, training and investment.
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