UN Women, Ecobank and Ecobank Foundation address the digital gender divide and how to ensure that digital technologies and innovations are inclusive and transformative for all.
In observance of International Women's Day, UN Women, Ecobank, the Ecobank Foundation, and their partners Global Partnership for Education, Africa Nenda, Apps Tech, and Learntor gathered on March 17th around a webinar on the theme “How to leverage transformative and digital technology to create equal opportunities”.
Ecobank and the Ecobank Foundation have recognized the critical role digital can play in empowering women and tackling the gender gap. Mrs. Josephine Anan Ankomah, Regional Director for Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa for Ecobank recalled that "Digital technology can transform women's lives in many ways and at a very fast pace. It can, for example, give many women access to a bank account for the first time and help them grow their businesses”. Ecobank and the Ecobank Foundation have been focusing on advancing their digital solutions to respond to the needs of their clients, specifically women and women entrepreneurs. The Foundation has partnered with organizations like UN Women and the Global Partnership for Education to leverage digitalization to address the gender gap.
This year's event recognizes and celebrates the women and girls who are championing the advancement of transformative technology and digital education. It aims to explore the impact of the digital gender gap on widening economic and social inequalities and the importance of protecting the rights of women and girls in digital spaces and addressing online and ICT-facilitated gender-based violence. During her intervention, Mrs. Sabine Mensah, Deputy Managing Director of Africa Nenda emphasizes that "We need to train many more girls in STEM from an early age so that they can have access to all the jobs of tomorrow using new technologies”.
Innovation, technology, and digital education have immense potential to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union's Agenda. Mr. Lorenzo Rovelli, Project Coordinator at UN Women declared "New technologies are powerful tools for financial inclusion. For example, The Buy from Women project initiated by UN Women and its partners is a digital and mobile platform allowing rice/grain farmers to improve their asset and business management to facilitate their market access”.
However, they also present a risk of perpetuating existing patterns of gender inequality. The digital gender divide has resulted in growing inequalities in digital skills and access to technologies, with women being left behind. To ensure a sustainable future, inclusive and transformative technology, and digital education are crucial “If we give girls the opportunity to learn technologies at a very early age, they will not see it as something unachievable”, advocated Mrs. Rebbeca Enonchong, Funder, and General Director of Apps Tech.
International Women's Day 2023 is a timely reminder of the urgent need to address the digital gender divide and ensure that digital technologies and innovations are inclusive and transformative for all.
Click the link below to watch the webinar: