The exclusion of women from the digital economy has cost more than $1 trillion dollars of GDP to low and middle income countries in the past decade, and inequality will persist for women and girls until this is confronted.<\/p>
They were the opening words of Self Help Africa\u2019s Programmes Director Orla Kilcullen as she hosted Self Help Africa’s third annual International Women\u2019s Day webinar, on Wednesday 8th March 2023.<\/p>
\u201cIn 2023, gender inequality persists across all parts of the world and in all aspects of life. Digital technology is no different – and it\u2019s coming at a huge cost, quite literally,\u201d she said.<\/p>
She added that without action, the economic cost of hindering access to digital resources for women would risk to $1.5 trillion by 2025, according to recent data<\/a>.<\/p> Self Help Africa\u2019s webinar for International Women\u2019s Day 2023 featured speakers from across East, South and West Africa, speaking about their experiences integrating women into technology in their work.<\/p> The contributors to the event included Wangiwe Kambuzi, founder and managing director of an e-hub in Mzuzu, Malawi; Amy Kebe, founder and manager of Jokalante an innovation and technology hub in Senegal; Obor Minto, the senior technical advisor to the German Government’s GIZ Digital Transformation Centre in Kenya; and Cherryl Chelule, Operations Manager at TruTrade, Self Help Africa\u2019s own social enterprise that uses a digital payments platform to allow women to access markets.<\/p> Catch up on our webinar below for an engaging conversation and discussion on women and technology: <\/p>