Aida Opoku-Mensah Empowerment of Women

Engaging African Women & Girls in Technology
Web Gathering
12 December 2012

Empowering African women for the
future through ICT

Aida Opoku-Mensah
Director
ICT, Science and Technology Division
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa

ICTs, Science & Technology Division (ISTD), UNECA www.uneca.org/istd / www.uneca.org/aisi

Contents

 Context

 Gender / Performance in MDGs

 Women in Decision Making & Economic Fields

 ICTs & Women’s Empowerment

 ECA’s Mandate and Activities in Gender and ICTs

 Conclusions


Context
Women constitute
Women constitute
over 50 per cent of
over 50 per cent of
the population
the population
Gender inequalities
Gender inequalities
in income
in income
and asset
and asset
Do 60 per cent
Do 60 per cent
of the work
of the work distribution of
distribution of
remunerated
remunerated
& unremunerated
& unremunerated
work
work
Earn 1/10 of the income
Earn 1/10 of the income lack of recognition
lack of recognition
of women contributions
of women contributions
In household
In household
and care economies
and care economies
Own 1/100
Own 1/100
of the assets
of the assets

Are some of the causes of Marginalisation of Women
Are some of the causes of Marginalisation of Women


Where are we on MDGs

African continent well positioned
African continent well positioned
to meet universal primary education, gender equality and empowerment goals;
to meet universal primary education, gender equality and empowerment goals;

Gender parity in primary education likely to be achieved by most countries;
Gender parity in primary education likely to be achieved by most countries;

Parity decreases in secondary education,
Parity decreases in secondary education,
& gap is widest in tertiary education;;
& gap is widest in tertiary education;;

In primary and secondary education, The Gambia,
In primary and secondary education, The Gambia,
Guinea, Mauritania, and Senegal made the greatest progress in achieving gender parity. .
Guinea, Mauritania, and Senegal made the greatest progress in achieving gender parity
In tertiary education, North Africa continues to lead the continent.
In tertiary education, North Africa continues to lead the continent.


Women in decision-making

Increased proportion of women in decision making
( increased number of women parliamentarians
& at senior positions )


Under-representation of women in most
economic fields
In the formal economy, women are predominantly
In the formal economy, women are predominantly
employed in the agricultural sector ––
employed in the agricultural sector
especially in West, Central and Eastern
especially in West, Central and Eastern
and Southern Africa
and Southern Africa

60-80 %
60-80 %
of the agricultural
of the agricultural
labour force
labour force

70-80 %
70-80 %
of the food production
of the food production

20% of the labour
20% of the labour
force in non-agricultural
force in non-agricultural
employment in North Africa &
employment in North Africa &
37% in sub-Saharan Africa
37% in sub-Saharan Africa


Gender disparity in secondary and tertiary
education
 Gender disparity in tertiary education have shown a slowly
decreasing trend, however, it is highly unlikely that African countries
will reach the gender parity for tertiary level target by 2015

Gender parity index in tertiary education, in selected African countries for selected African countries,
1991 and 2008


ICTs & women’s empowerment
 ICTs can reduce discrimination and
empower women for all type of activities
 Information, education, ability to
communicate and to enroll in decision-
making processes are the basic pillars of
empowerment
 Empowered women would be one of the
most effective drivers of development
 As clearly stated in the Beijing Declaration
 “ICT is a powerful tool that women could use
for mobilization, information exchange and
empowerment."


Gender Barriers to Accessing and Using
ICTs

Lack of time and infrastructure
Lack of time and infrastructure

Social norms
Social norms

Cultural constraints
Cultural constraints

Education and employment
Education and employment


How are ICTs empowering women?

Information and
Information and Economic //
Economic
knowledge is
knowledge is Governance
Governance
power
power Empowerment
Empowerment

Networking
Networking


Is there a Digital Gender Divide?

 ICTs access and usage shows gender
imbalance as shown in the example from
Benin and Ghana
Percent female Internet users in Ghana Percent female Internet users in Benin

40 12
35 10
30
25 8
Percent female Internet Percent female Internet
20 6
users users
15 4
10
5 2

0 0
2005 2006 2007 2008 2004 2005 2006 2007


Mobile phone ownership, selected
African countries
Country Female Male
Botswana (2005) 55.8% 44.2%

Cameroon Urban 49% 52%
areas 39% 61
Rural areas

Ethiopia (of 1793 0.2% of women 0.4% of men
households surveyed)
(2005)

South Africa (2007) 46% 54%

Tanzania (2005) 48.40% 50.50%


Findings: recent ECA-FOSSFA quick survey on
women and ICT
Priority areas that need to be considered to promote women software
developers:

• Mentorship - this came out in almost all of the replies
• Funding
• Market share, contracts, paying jobs
• Meeting with software legends
• Establishing a professional Association
• Media coverage of women's efforts
• Segregated (women only) training and coding rooms
• Business skills and culture
• Management skills
• Professional certification
• Up-to-date information on cutting edge technology and how to benefit from it
• Hands-on practical workshops
• Personality lessons: self esteem, confidence etc
• Communication and Public speaking capacity building
• Marketing and public relations capacity building

ECA’s role in gender and ICTs
AISI
AISI
Guided by the African Information Society Initiative launched in 1996,
Guided by the African Information Society Initiative launched in 1996,
with the aim of supporting and accelerating socio-economic development
with the aim of supporting and accelerating socio-economic development
across the region through the use of ICT s,E CAand partners supported
s, CA
across the region through the use of ICT E and partners supported
countries in Africa with the formulation of national ICT policies, commonly
countries in Africa with the formulation of national ICT policies, commonly
known as NICIs
known as NICIs

A number of countries mainstreamed gender in their national ICT policies
A number of countries mainstreamed gender in their national ICT policies

NICI Strategies
NICI Strategies
Over 43 countries have adopted their NICIs by end of 2010 and a further six
Over 43 countries have adopted their NICIs by end of 2010 and a further six
countries in the process of developing one
countries in the process of developing one
In the last over five years, many countries have moved from policy formulation
In the last over five years, many countries have moved from policy formulation
to implementation by putting in place sectoral strategies in key priority sectors
to implementation by putting in place sectoral strategies in key priority sectors
such as e-government, education, health, etc.
such as e-government, education, health, etc.


Gender mainstreaming in selected NICI
Policies in Africa
Mainstreaming statement

Ghana
Ghana
Put in place a mechanism to ensure the participation of women
Put in place a mechanism to ensure the participation of women
in developing the information society and to ensure that
in developing the information society and to ensure that
ICT policies at all levels are engendered,
ICT policies at all levels are engendered,
and geared toward meeting specific developmental needs of women
and geared toward meeting specific developmental needs of women

Zambia
Zambia
Promote the use of ICTs as tools to eliminate
Promote the use of ICTs as tools to eliminate
all forms of inequalities between sexes
all forms of inequalities between sexes

Pillar
Cameroon
Cameroon
Gender and Social Development
Gender and Social Development

Gender mainstreaming in selected NICI
Policies in Africa…contd
Vision Objectives

Gambia
Gambia
Cameroon To make ICT access affordable to all Gambian women
Cameroon To make ICT access affordable to all Gambian women
The information society should be
The information society should be
garanteed and anchored on the realities of the
garanteed and anchored on the realities of the Ghana
day. ItIt ICT policies at all levels are engendered,
day. ICT policies at all levels are engendered, Ghana
and geared toward meeting To accelerate the dev of women and eliminate gender
and geared toward meeting To accelerate the dev of women and eliminate gender
specific developmental needs of women inequalities in education, employment, decision making
specific developmental needs of women inequalities in education, employment, decision making
through the deployment and exploitation of IVICTs by
through the deployment and exploitation of IVICTs by
building capacities and providing opportunities
building capacities and providing opportunities
for girls and women
Lesotho
Lesotho
for girls and women
Government is committed to deploying ICTs
Government is committed to deploying ICTs
as tools in the process of ensuring
as tools in the process of ensuring Swaziland
Swaziland
gender equality, empowering and recognising Ensure that the benefits of ICTs are utilized in addressing
gender equality, empowering and recognising Ensure that the benefits of ICTs are utilized in addressing
women and youth in the development process gender (disadvantaged groups) inequalities in education,
women and youth in the development process gender (disadvantaged groups) inequalities in education,
employment opportunities, and decision making. ICT
employment opportunities, and decision making. ICT
capacity building for the girl child and women iis aa must
capacity building for the girl child and women iis must
Zambia
Zambia
There is need to address youth and women
There is need to address youth and women Zambia
as special groups in society that can
as special groups in society that can Zambia
positively contribute to the growth of ICTs To increase employment opportunities through ICTs,
positively contribute to the growth of ICTs To increase employment opportunities through ICTs,
as well as the use of ICTs as empowerment tools and the participation of youth and women
as well as the use of ICTs as empowerment tools and the participation of youth and women
in their daily activities in national development; etc.
in their daily activities in national development; etc.


ECA support in the area of gender and
ICT/STI
Mainstreaming Gender in ICT/STI policies;
Mainstreaming Gender in ICT/STI policies;

Capacity building ( (Gambia under the leadership of VP);
Capacity building Gambia under the leadership of VP);

Support to women innovators
Support to women innovators

ICT applications for women (Mobile apps for women entrepreneurs in Mozambique);
ICT applications for women (Mobile apps for women entrepreneurs in Mozambique);

Improving access through tele innovation centers (Ghana, Rwanda & Knowledge networks);
Improving access through tele innovation centers (Ghana, Rwanda & Knowledge networks);

Gender and E-government;
Gender and E-government;

TIGA Awards: promoting apps such as eSoko.
TIGA Awards: promoting apps such as eSoko.


E-government  improving women’s
lives & incomes
Women

Government Services Supporting
Information livelihoods
• Registration services • Utilities
payment • Market access
• Access to information, • Medical services • Produce pricing e.g. for
e.g. electoral process • Education farmers
• Government policies • Government payments • Training for enhancing
and programs esp. in rural areas in productivity
absence of addressing • Money transfer
access


ICT increases Government Efficiency and
Transparency
 ECA facilitated dialogue
among ICT and gender
experts in Africa to
analyse and evaluate the
efforts put in place by
African countries to
include a gender
dimension in e-
Government policies and
programmes
 Produced a handbook
for policy makers on
gender sensitive e-
government strategies


ICTs at grassroots
 Rural telecentre can support access to information and
services relevant for households for intensifying
agricultural production, adopting diversified livelihoods,
facilitate migration, or in enabling a combination of these.

A Community Telecentre
in Ugunja, Kenya (One
of ECA’s KN hub) is
using ICTs to tap the
farmers’ indigenous
knowledge on climate
change


E-Soko – one of the 2011 TIGA awarded
projects


E-Soko’s roles on women’s
empowerment

It reduced influence of information brokers who have formed strong market cartels;
It reduced influence of information brokers who have formed strong market cartels;

The information gathered and distributed by E-soko empowers farmers/growers in the
The information gathered and distributed by E-soko empowers farmers/growers in the
negotiation process that shifted the power equilibrium from buyers back to the farmers ; ;
negotiation process that shifted the power equilibrium from buyers back to the farmers

It reduced risk of loss through spoilage of goods in the search of suitable markets;
It reduced risk of loss through spoilage of goods in the search of suitable markets;

Increased the incomes of traders, farmers and their dependents.
Increased the incomes of traders, farmers and their dependents.


Conclusion
 Encouraging girls towards science and technology
fields is critical;
 African policy makers need to realise and ensure the
importance of mainstreaming gender in ICTs and STI
policies and strategies;
 Investing on institutional and leadership capacities is
key for realising gender-sensitive policies;
 Critical for women, the issue of digital divide in
education goes beyond the issue of access to
technology. The changing needs of economic and
social development require a wide range of new skills
and competences, known as the 21st century
competences  key enablers of responsible
citizenship in a knowledge-based and technology-
pervaded economy


Yes We CAN!!!

http://www.uneca.org/istd/


Aida Opoku-Mensah Empowerment of Women

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