The technology sector plays a key role in Africa’s continuing development. This CAI paper considers the contributions of women to this sector. It briefly outlines the role of technology in development and the limited involvement of women in this field. It then describes the work and impact of several women entrepreneurs and women-focussed initiatives on the African technology scene.

Technology in Africa

The technology sector is important for Africa’s emerging economies. This industry is primarily about the development of innovations that meet the everyday needs of Africa’s citizenry. Consequently, this sector plays a vital role in driving development, often by intersecting with other key sectors such as agriculture. In the case of the agriculture industry and the growing need for food security, it is suggested that technological advances will cause this industry to evolve into one that is more enticing to youth who view it as antiquated and thus, revitalise it.⁽²⁾ However, the technology industry also helps create diversity in African economies that are characterised by an “unnecessary dependence on natural resources and raw materials.”⁽³⁾ This industry moves African economies to be more knowledge-based, which attracts more investment.⁽⁴⁾ As small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), technology-based businesses also play an important role as drivers of economic growth by creating employment opportunities, facilitating private ownership and creating a skilled workforce. For these reasons, the growth of Africa’s technology sector is viewed as an indispensable part of its economic ascent.⁽⁵⁾

Women and technology

Historically, the African technology industry is one that has seen limited female involvement. This sector is still held by many to be a “male dominated field” as women complain that they are met with gender-biased obstacles in their attempts to engage it.⁽⁶⁾ Women’s technology empowerment group, AkiraChix, highlights that less than 15% of the people who work in Africa’s technology sector are women.⁽⁷⁾ This is particularly alarming in light of the fact that women comprise the “majority of [Africa’s] population and half of [its] workforce.”⁽⁸⁾ As a result, in comparison to men, “women have to work twice as hard and be extremely resilient” in order to achieve success in this field.⁽⁹⁾ However, today African women are making significant advancements that are fast outmoding patriarchal domination in the technology scene.

The global technology scene is benefitting from an increase in female involvement on every level. It is becoming increasingly acknowledged that a new “creative energy...is being unleashed as women and technology come together.”⁽¹⁰⁾ African women exemplify this as they seek pragmatic solutions to commonly experienced challenges in “energy, food, clean water, health, literacy, environment and a host of other issues.”⁽¹¹⁾ Furthermore, women tend to be the “gatekeepers for new technology” by being the first to adopt it and then leading their family and friends in doing the same.⁽¹²⁾ As such, women-led technology initiatives and organisations are producing innovations that are impacting Africa and beyond.

Practical answers to common problems

An often cited innovation spearheaded by three women is M-Farm. Susan Eve Oguya, Jamila Abass and Linda Kwamboka founded this “software solution and agribusiness company” to operate as a “transparency tool” for Kenyan farmers.⁽¹³⁾ It was created primarily to aid farmers who suffered from delayed payments, overpriced farm inputs and middle persons offering too little for their produce.⁽¹⁴⁾ This innovation minimises these challenges by enabling farmers to make reasonably-priced purchases directly from farm input manufacturers, connect with the market for their produce and obtain the real-time retail prices of different markets for their produce.⁽¹⁵⁾

While M-Farm plugs the gap between farmers and the rest of their economic community, another real challenge is access in a country where many farmers do not use the internet. M-Farm has creatively addressed this by making the service available through short message service (SMS); farmers simply send a text and gain access to the requested information.⁽¹⁶⁾ The practicality and accessibility of M-Farm has the potential to revolutionise Kenya’s agricultural sector. This was recognised when the idea was awarded the winning prize of € 10,000 (US$ 12,818.30) for use as capital investment in the IPO48 competition.⁽¹⁷⁾ Indeed, M-Farm is an inspiring example of women aiding development through technology.

World class entrepreneur: Rapelang Rabana

Another woman who is making her mark in the technology sector is Rapelang Rabana. This impressive 27-year-old woman has had a profound impact on South Africa’s technology scene.⁽¹⁸⁾ In 2005 she co-founded Yeigo Communications which was a global forerunner in mobile Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) application development.⁽¹⁹⁾ As CEO, Rabana led Yeigo in offering its software-based communications solutions to telecommunication and internet service providers.⁽²⁰⁾ This industry-leading company was integrated into the Switzerland-based Telfree Group in 2008, where Rabana currently operates as Global Head of Research and Development.⁽²¹⁾ This partnership produced the world’s first unified telecommunications hub in 2009.⁽²²⁾ In 2011, Telfree launched Office Connection, which is a cloud-hosted Private Branch Exchange system.⁽²³⁾ Indeed, Rabana continues to be at the head of innovative communications solutions for SMEs to corporate businesses.

Rabana’s impact has not only been felt in the world of technology, as her passion for effecting positive societal change has also left a mark. She is a working Board Member of Ubuntu Africa, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that offers comprehensive care for HIV-positive children living in South Africa’s under-served communities.⁽²⁴⁾ Rabana was selected as a Global Shaper, a community established by the World Economic Forum, due to her “leadership capabilities, demonstrated successes, and commitment to make a positive contribution.”⁽²⁵⁾ The Global Shapers Community consists of people in their twenties who are motivated to harness their “energy and enthusiasm [for] building a more peaceful and inclusive world.”⁽²⁶⁾ She is also a Juror and Ambassador for the United Nations World Youth Summit Awards.⁽²⁷⁾ These and other accolades demonstrate the dynamic ability of this South African woman and the importance of what she contributes to the world of technology.

Harnessing Africa’s potential: Empowerment and networking

While there are several African women who are fast becoming household names in technology, exclusion of women from this field continues to be a challenge. As such, several initiatives have been launched which help alleviate existing barriers to inclusion. AkiraChix is one such organisation that was initiated in Kenya with the objective to “inspire and develop a successful force of women in technology that will change Africa’s future.”⁽²⁸⁾ AkiraChix now has a continental scope and aims to meet its objectives through the implementation of several programmes, such as its Mentorship and Mobile Garage programmes.⁽²⁹⁾ The latter is sponsored by infoDev and seeks to establish businesses that will be sustainable in a knowledge-based economy.⁽³⁰⁾

Women In Technology Uganda (WITU) is also an organisation that seeks to “attract, retain and advance more women in the IT industry.”⁽³¹⁾ WITU maintains a similar modus operandi as AkiraChix in that it provides women with the opportunity to network, be mentored and develop their professional abilities.⁽³²⁾ This organisation also strategically targets young ladies by offering them role models, encouraging them to study the sciences at university level, and targeting those who dropped out of school.⁽³³⁾

Further, the Asikana Network is a Zambian women empowerment technology organisation. It shares the same concerns and operating principles as AkiraChix and WITU, but has also undertaken a groundbreaking initiative: the creation of the Women’s Tech Organisations in Africa map.⁽³⁴⁾ Ella Mbewe, Regina Mtonga and Chisenga Muyoya are the three Zambian women behind this incredible initiative to connect all of “Africa's women in technology organisations, projects and initiatives.”⁽³⁵⁾ They believe that creating such a wide database will facilitate effective networking for mutual strengthening between sister organisations and further advance the role of women in technology across the entire continent.⁽³⁶⁾ To achieve this they have employed a Kenyan mapping platform, Ushahidi CrowdMap, which uses social media to crowd-source information.⁽³⁷⁾ These examples demonstrate that the community of women in technology, although often virtual, is one that continues to gain momentum and strength for the benefit of society as a whole.

Concluding remarks

The involvement of women in the technology scene is aiding the development of Africa’s emerging economies. Many women play key roles in this important sector, as considered in the examples discussed. Some of them are behind several of the most important innovations that have hit this sector such as M-Farm and Yeigo Communications. Other initiatives such as AkiraChix, WITU and the Asikana Network are indispensable in ensuring that African women’s role in technology continues to expand. Indeed, it is only through the establishment of true egalitarianism in the technology sector, that optimal advancement will be achieved.

Written by Tapfuma Musewe ⁽¹⁾

NOTES:

(1) Contact Tapfuma Musewe through Consultancy Africa Intelligence’s Optimistic Africa Unit ( optimistic.africa@consultancyafrica.com). This CAI discussion paper was developed with the assistance of Charlotte Sutherland and was edited by Kate Morgan.
(2) Schellhase, J., ‘Technology’s role in African human development’, Center for technology and development at NYU Abu Dhabi, 25 June 2012, http://ctednyu.wordpress.com.
(3) ‘Advancing science and technology in Africa’, NEPAD, http://www.nepad.org.
(4) Ibid.
(5) AkiraChix website, http://akirachix.com.
(6) ‘Zambian women launch ambitious crowdsourcing project to map all African women in technology initiatives’, Association For Women’s Rights in Development, 12 September 2012, http://www.awid.org.
(7) AkiraChix website, http://akirachix.com.
(8) Ibid.
(9) ‘Zambian women launch ambitious crowdsourcing project to map all African women in technology initiatives’, Association For Women’s Rights in Development, 12 September 2012, http://www.awid.org.
(10) ‘The state of women in tech, from an Intel insider who is one’, Forbes, 28 August 2012, http://www.forbes.com.
(11) Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology website, http://anitaborg.org.
(12) ‘The state of women in tech, from an Intel insider who is one’, Forbes, 28 August 2012, http://www.forbes.com.
(13) M-Farm website, http://mfarm.co.ke.
(14) Ibid.
(15) Ibid.
(16) Ibid.
(17) Ibid.
(18) ‘The 10 most powerful women in African tech’, Ventures, 8 August 2012, http://www.ventures-africa.com.
(19) ‘Executive Management’, Telfree, http://www.telfree.com.
(20) ‘The 10 most powerful women in African tech’, Ventures, 8 August 2012, http://www.ventures-africa.com.
(21) ‘Rapelang Rabana’, Entrepreneur, http://www.entrepreneurmag.co.za.
(22) ‘The 10 most powerful women in African tech’, Ventures, 8 August 2012, http://www.ventures-africa.com.
(23) Ibid.
(24) ‘Executive management’, Telfree, http://www.telfree.com; Ubuntu Africa website, http://ubafrica.org.
(25) ‘World economic forum annual meeting Davos 2012’, Telfree, http://www.telfree.com.
(26) ‘Global shapers’, World Economic Forum, http://www.weforum.org.
(27) ‘Executive management’, Telfree, http://www.telfree.com.
(28) AkiraChix website, http://akirachix.com.
(29) Ibid.
(30) Ibid.
(31) Women In Technology Uganda website, http://witug.wordpress.com.
(32) Ibid.
(33) Ibid.
(34) Women’s Tech Organisations in Africa website, https://womentechafrica.crowdmap.com.
(35) ‘Zambian women launch ambitious crowdsourcing project to map all African women in technology initiatives’, Association For Women’s Rights in Development, 12 September 2012, http://www.awid.org.
(36) Ibid.
(37) Ibid.