By collaborating with non-profit organisations and like-minded institutions to bridge the gender skills gap, businesses can help transform communities in the Middle East and Africa
Growing up Grace Kapinga had hopes of becoming an information technology (IT) professional. But when she fled her native Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to seek refuge in Malawi, she wasn’t sure what her future held. It wasn’t long, however, until a partnership between a global technology company and a non-profit organisation saw 20-year-old Grace developing her digital skills. Grace was one of 31 refugees and asylum seekers benefitting from the Microsoft and UNHCR AppFactory in the Dzaleka refugee camp. The AppFactory is a Microsoft 4Afrika initiative equipping young software developers with hands-on experience, while helping them build critical business skills.
Grace’s circumstances mirror the realities of millions of people in the Middle East and Africa, who have hopes of improving their quality of life through the opportunities presented by digitalisation. Through partnerships with local organisations that drive socio-economic impact, companies like Microsoft – through its Microsoft Philanthropies arm and initiatives like 4Afrika – are bringing these opportunities to communities across the region.
Focus on women and girls
Global trends illustrate that digital skills are becoming essential for the jobs of today and tomorrow, but the Middle East and North Africa still has large gaps in access to education, making it difficult for young people to acquire those skills.
One way to ensure more people are trained with the skills needed to succeed in the future is to bridge the gender gap in male-dominated fields. Employment in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) has grown 79 percent since 1990, yet women represent just 30 percent of the entire workforce within the technology industry.
According to the World Bank, bringing more women into tech jobs can help transform the economy by increasing women’s earnings and financial independence. But, this opportunity will be lost without the skills needed to drive inclusion in the tech sector. That’s why it is a social, moral and economic necessity to ensure young girls and women in the Middle East and Africa are given the skills to master technology, thereby doubling the number of future-ready professionals.
Transforming together
As technology continues to transform societies, digital tools and services should reflect the diversity of the global population. Digital solutions should be developed by women and men for women and men. Similarly, from a business perspective, it is important for enterprises to invest in and diversify, not only their current staff, but the future workforce as well.
Through policy, advocacy and partnerships with non-profit organisations, companies can contribute to social and economic change in the Middle East and Africa. Partnerships with like-minded organisations are powerful because they bring together the resources and capabilities of private enterprises as well as organisations in other sectors. A significant number of corporates and NGOs also believe that these collaborations help to improve overall business practices for the better.
Microsoft, for example, partners with governments, businesses and thousands of non-profits every year to equip them with the technology, resources and skills they need to grow digital skills among young people in the Middle East and Africa. Through these collaborations, Microsoft helps organisations, school districts and educators build their capacity to offer computer science and digital skills training.
Change in the making
One such collaboration is the DigiGirlz programme, which inspires high school girls to pursue STEM subjects by providing them with the opportunity to interact with Microsoft employees and receive computer and technology training.
Each year, Microsoft hosts DigiGirlz Day across the world, including in the Middle East and Africa. The one-day event sees students interact with Microsoft employees and managers to gain career planning assistance, information about technology and business roles.
The company is also working to change the way organisations fill open positions, enabling more women and girls to become participants in the digital economy. For example, as part of the YouthSpark programme, Microsoft partnered with the Zariah Elizabeth Foundation to equip 50 000 young women with digital skills training through a train-the-trainer programme in UNESCO community centres.
Doubling the potential to change the world
A partnership launched in 2018 aspires to upskill 50 million youth in Africa and create 25 million jobs in agriculture, technology and other key sectors across the continent by 2025. This programme, launched by Microsoft in partnership with the African Development Bank, is an example of the kind of change organisations can bring to countries and communities through unified action against social issues like gender disparity.
Companies need to recognise their responsibility to use their platform to spotlight and prompt action around key challenges to digital inclusion, amplifying advocacy efforts accordingly to change policy on these issues. Partnering with like-minded organisations to combine resources, capabilities and reach is an effective way to do just that.
