Expanding knowledge about the gender digital divide

The EQUALS Global Partnership recently announced the finalists for the 2022 EQUALS in Tech Awards. The Awards recognize outstanding projects and initiatives around the world that are helping build a brighter digital future for girls and women by bridging the gender digital divide. Winners will be announced on December 8, 2022.

More about the awards

Want to know more about the potential winners? Here’s a snapshot of the three finalists in the Research category.

AfricanWITS (Cameroon)

AfricanWITS was founded in 2016, as a not-for-profit tech hub to prepare women for empowerment opportunities offered by a newly and rapidly developing tech sector. The focus has been on promoting female entrepreneurship in the tech sector and supporting women's activities in tech as a social leveler of growth and empowerment. To empower more women, AfricanWITS aims to provide training in digital skills for women and girls, as well as collaborating with other organizations in the region to provide advice on gender-related schemes and programs and helping women improve their professional networks.

MetLife Triangle Tech X (United States of America)

MetLife Triangle Tech X is an annual summit that works toward bridging the gap in roles for women in STEM. The 2021 summit focused on surveying diversity issues within STEM fields, and aimed to connect women to leaders and practitioners as mentors and peers. The agenda of the summit is to empower women in technology to launch and grow their careers. For participating employers, the aim is to discuss the opportunities to sustain and support women’s careers in tech. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rapidly changing landscape of technology, the summit provides essential learning for improving diversity in the tech sector.

Education Digital Equity Initiative (Nigeria)

EDEI is a unique initiative that aims to holistically aid children, particularly girls, through the positive use of technology. EDEI is a country-wide information-based initiative targeting grassroots and low-income households in rural Nigeria. It offers online digital learning opportunities in various languages catering to diverse social groups and illuminates the socio-economic barriers faced by women in harnessing the full potential of technology. One of the most pressing issues faced by women in technology is to engage in leadership roles. EDEI brings forward innovative solutions to increase the engagement of women in leadership roles. They do this by supporting schools in rural Nigeria and taking technology to women at the grassroots level. EDEI does this by harnessing technology to disseminate digital educational resources.

Congratulations to all the 2022 finalists! On behalf of the EQUALS Global Partnership, we thank you for your work to bridge the gender digital divide and build a bright connected future for everyone!

Awards Ceremony

The 2022 EQUALS in Tech Award winners will be announced at a ceremony on 8 December 2022, during the annual meeting of Partner2Connect at ITU headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

Registration to attend the awards is now open. Find out more by visiting: www.equalsintech.org/awards

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