NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 6 – Considering that just 24 percent of women utilize the internet, compared to 35 percent of males, it is important to ensure that technological improvements do not exacerbate existing gender disparities in the digital sphere.
Building inclusive innovation and technology ecosystems must be at the heart of efforts to leverage the potential of innovation and technology to support the economic, social, and political development of women and girls in Africa.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the ministerial segment of the consultations, Prudence Ngwenya, Director of African Union Commission, Women, Gender and Youth Directorate, called for the Common Africa Position to be translated into implementable actions and mainstreamed into the work that governments are doing towards achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment.
“Empowering women and girls through the provision of meaningful access to the internet and innovative technologies could undoubtedly provide them with opportunities to start businesses, and to access education, health, social as well as financial services,” she said.
Further she noted that while technology and innovation are being hailed as crucial means to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, the statistics on access, beneficiaries and who influences their development are pointing to disparities between and among the sexes.
“According to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), in Africa, women account for only 24% of the population using the internet, while men account for 35% of users. Thus, delegates stressed that ensuring that these technological developments do not widen the digital gender divides was crucial,” she said.
Maxime Houinato, UN Women Regional Director for East and Southern Africa called for efforts to be made to ensure that the interests of African women and girls shape the values and principles that underlie governance of technology and innovation.
“CSW 67 provides an opportunity for Africa to influence the global discourse on digital cooperation, to ensure that technology and innovation can accelerate economic growth, while fairly distributing the benefits to African women and girls as well as reshaping sociocultural norms to create a more equal and just world for them,” Said Houinato.
She added that digital technologies offer huge opportunities to transform the lives of people. At the same time, the risk of women being left behind is significant and equality for technology access is needed.
The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) recommended there be access to digital tools like the internet and relevant information for women and girls, data to be available to support the gender-responsive innovation and digital safety for women and children.
The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) remains instrumental in promoting women’s rights, documenting the reality of women’s lives throughout the world, and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women.
