“Jiguene” means woman in Wolof. Women in Senegal under-represented in the field of ICT in a country where Internet sector represents more than 3% of GDP, according to McKinsey. This is the highest rate in Africa. The four founders of Jjiguene Tech hub want to allow more women to have a place in this still very male sector. These passionate computer have organized the “Coding Girls Camp” in Louga in north-western Senegal from 20 to 22 February. The initiative allows the formation of 50 high school girls to web based technical as well as entrepreneurship and leadership. At the end, they will create the website of their school using HTML5 and CSS3. Other courses of this type are planned in Thies, Mbour and Rufisque.
A huge untapped potential but women
“All positions of responsibility in the ICT sector are occupied by men. Access to computer tool is most favored in men than in women. ” Ms. Regina Mbodj, ICT Growth Director Dakar (ICTC) deplored the lack of involvement of women in the sector during the International Day of the Girl in ICT in May 2014. Jjiguene Tech is a network of developers and entrepreneurs women open all those who wish to integrate the new technologies market. The hub aims to encourage young Senegalese to integrate science courses, technology, engineering and mathematics. For one of the co-founders, Marième Jamme, women’s potential in Africa is obvious. “There are a lot of innovation in Africa, especially with women,” she says.
This young woman exemplary course is also the creator of Spot One Global Solutions in England. The company helps software companies to locate in the world especially in Africa. In 2012, she is ranked among the 20 most influential young women in Africa. According Marième Jamme, Africa is a land of innovation with a young and dynamic population. However, it lacks the tools, skills and funding, the main barriers faced by many African. “We need to change things and start looking at these young women entrepreneurs in Africa,” she says on her blog. With Jjiguene Tech, it helps to reduce the digital divide between men and women by helping the latter to appropriate ICT tools to use them daily. The initiative is recognized by a large number of investors in the sector, such as Microsoft, which allows Jjiguene Tech to offer its services free of charge.
EYE OF AFRICA
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