South Africa aims to plug ICT skills, gender gap

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA — South African firms are intensifying their efforts to provide girls with digital skills training to help bridge the gender digital divide in the country.
As part of International Girls in ICT Day, local firms SAP, Cisco, and Anglo American have committed to supporting girls in South Africa to break into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.
Specifically, SAP helped upskill over 150,000 girls in South Africa through its Africa Code Week skills training initiative.
Similarly, Cisco aims to help nearly 40,000 girls enter the STEM fields in the country. Further, Anglo American launched a comprehensive ICT program in South African schools to help learners gain skills for the digital job market.
According to United Nations (UN) data, young women in low- and middle-income countries miss out on US$15 billion worth of economic opportunities due to internet access and digital skills gaps compared with their male peers.
In addition, South Africa is currently experiencing a large-scale shortage of ICT skills causing local firms to look for tech talent overseas.
SAP Africa Managing Director Cathy Smith said, “With the correct investment in skills development, Africa’s economy could build the world’s future tech workforce, bringing untold economic and social benefit to the continent and its citizens.”
Huawei SA, LG SA, GirlCode, and Africa Teen Geeks have also committed to training more South African girls in STEM, enabling the next generation of female leaders to enter the industry.