The top 25 women and girls have been awarded for their outstanding contribution to the growth of Kenya’s digital industry.
The awards ceremony was held during the inaugural Tech Women Festival hosted at the University of Nairobi to honour women techies shaping the industry. Teki, a technology company, organizes the annual awards and festival.
The ceremony brought together digital practitioners, innovators and industry leaders to celebrate milestones and explore policy gaps in the tech industry while connecting with peers.
Mr. Martin Muli, Teki CEO and the festival’s director, said: “The Awards were created to recognise digital heroines who have mentored young girls and influenced the direction that the tech industry has taken. It was fantastic to host so many women and girls doing exemplary things in the digital space to transform lives positively.”
The climax of the day-long festival was the pairing of the winners with the top 25 girls with innovative business ideas and projects for mentorship through a programme dubbed Spark.
Muli disclosed the winners were selected by an independent panel of judges who, among other criteria, focused on their mentorship initiatives.
Teki aims to impact 10,000 girls from universities and organized youth groups across all counties by equipping them with skills and knowledge to identify the right career and establish tech start-ups.
University of Nairobi Acting Vice Chancellor Prof. Margaret Hutchinson called on public and corporate organisations to lead in fostering an environment where women have equal opportunities, so that their voices are heard, and contributions valued.
Safaricom’s Donna Rege, who was among the top 25 women honoured, stressed the need to create more platforms to empower women and girls so that they are able to challenge the gender bias in the tech industry. “As women, we also need to invest in ourselves so as to accelerate initiatives that are aimed at empowering us to exploit opportunities in the tech industry,” she said.
Kenya has made many strides in bridging the gender gap in various sectors. The digital marketplace, however, remains a key area where disparities still exist despite significant growth in Internet penetration and usage.
Also Read: Women in Tech Launches Kenya Chapter in Partnership With Absa
