How African Women are Breaking the Gender Barrier in Coding

by: Nongcebo Buthelezi

The coding industry has long been dominated by men worldwide, but Africa is not far behind in busting the gender gap in technology. African women have not only been introduced to coding but are smashing this male-dominated field with determination, intelligence and skill. While they face a lot of obstacles, the women are resilient and determined to break the gender barrier in coding.

The African women who are breaking the gender barrier in coding are inspiring a new generation of female techies to pursue their dreams in computer science. These women are paving the way for the next generation of female technology leaders and entrepreneurs, changing the game for women in Africa.

In many African communities, women have been told since birth that their role is to become wives and mothers. As a result, many women have been discouraged from pursuing STEM subjects like computer science. Additionally, gender stereotypes still exist, and girls are often taught to shy away from science and math because they are perceived to be difficult, boring or not for girls.

However, African women are slowly but surely challenging these beliefs. They are creating more opportunities for women to learn, grow and succeed in the technology field. They are breaking the shackles of what was once a male-dominated industry by building innovative products, leading tech companies and creating societal impact with their skills.

One such pioneering woman is Linda Kamau, the CEO of Tala - a mobile lending app. Linda grew up in Kenya and later moved to the United States to pursue her education in computer science. In 2010, she returned to Kenya to initiate a start-up that would address financial inclusion issues for the Kenyan population. However, the company faced many challenges, and potential investors were not keen to back a woman-owned and led startup. Not one to give up, Linda persevered and continued to pitch her idea to venture capitalists. Today, Tala has grown to become one of the largest mobile lending platforms in Kenya, Tanzania and the Philippines.

Another inspiring woman is Juliana Rotich, the co-founder of Ushahidi, a nonprofit tech company that provides crowdsourced data on disasters, elections, and other social crises. Ushahidi has been used internationally for disaster response management, political monitoring and human-rights violations reporting. Juliana's work with Ushahidi has earned her many accolades, including being named among Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World.

More recently, the winners of the 2020 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation were all women entrepreneurs. The engineering innovations tackled sanitation, healthcare and energy issues. Among the winners was Charlette N'Guessan, who invented the Bace API, which is a facial recognition software that is built to verify African faces more accurately. Her software has garnered interest from organizations seeking to create more secure events and people verification systems.

Despite the strides that women have made in the technology field, there's still a long way to go. Many women still face sexism, discrimination and unequal pay in the industry. According to a Women in Technology survey by Girls in ICT, only 15% of African women pursuing IT related courses feel that technology jobs are marketed towards women, and less than 10% of women make up executive positions in tech companies.

But women continue to defy stereotypes and push back against institutionalized discrimination. African coding communities are creating more safe spaces for women to learn and discuss technology. Communities like AkiraChix in Kenya, for instance, aim to increase the number of women in technology and programming through various programmes, including coding boot camps and mentorship. Similarly, She Can Code in Nigeria provides a comprehensive exposure of women to the basic concepts in computer programming.

In conclusion, the journey of African women in coding has been remarkable, and their contributions to the tech industry have been immense. With women like Linda Kamau, Juliana Rotich and Charlette N'Guessan rising to the top, the future for the next generation of African women in coding looks bright. Breaking the gender barrier in coding is possible, and these women are showing it can be done. The African coding communities are making deliberate efforts to create an inclusive environment, and we can only hope that the trend will continue to grow, driving more women to pursue careers in technology.