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Time to reinvent women’s digital empowerment


Johannesburg, 29 Jul 2021

South Africa’s public and private sectors, and women themselves, need to follow the examples set by HP and Axiz on empowering girls and women to drive progress across the country. 

This is according to Annelee le Grange, General Manager for HP at Axiz, who was marking the start of Women’s Month this August.

Le Grange says South Africa’s girls and women are still overwhelmingly on the wrong side of the digital divide, lacking access to digital devices, connectivity and the digital skills they need to participate in the digital economy. GSMA reported as recently as 2018 that women’s cellphone ownership across sub-Saharan Africa stood at 69% – 15% lower than ownership among men; and mobile internet use among women was only 29% compared to the male average of 49%. On top of a lack of access to digital technologies and connectivity, millions of women also lack digital literacy and the knowledge and opportunities to enter digital careers.

“This has to change. The government, private sector and women themselves have to act more decisively to uplift and empower women,” she says. “More digital access and training must be taken to girls and women across the country. Sustainable development programmes – not ad hoc projects – are needed. More proactive efforts also have to be made to get women into the ICT sector, and to help them climb the career ladder.”

Le Grange notes that with true empowerment and diversity embedded in their culture, organisations can drive change rapidly.

Earlier this year, HP set a goal to accelerate digital equity for 150 million people by 2030. HP believes true digital equity requires four key elements: hardware, connectivity, quality, relevant learning materials and digital literacy to use the technology. HP’s own programmes have benefited millions of people to date, with over 50 million adult learners benefiting from HP’s education programmes since 2015, and over five million students and teachers reached through HP’s partnership with Girl Rising. HP LIFE, a free IT and business skills training programme run by the HP Foundation, has delivered over 1.3 million online courses to students in over 200 countries, on subjects such as social media marketing and business communications. Through its Partnership and Technology for Humanity (PATH) initiative, HP says it aspires to help pave the way towards a world where women and girls, communities of colour and marginalised groups, teachers and practitioners, and people with disabilities have access to the technology they need to ensure their voices are heard and their participation is equitable.

HP focuses on diversity, equity and inclusion while advancing human rights, social justice, and racial and gender equality across its ecosystem, and has committed to achieving 50/50 gender equality in HP leadership and ensuring that women represent greater than 30% of its technical and engineering roles by 2030. 

Says Le Grange: “I work in a company that truly acts on gender empowerment. Axiz aligns with these goals and has long been one of few technology companies in South Africa with more women than men in management. Our CEO and company culture are pro women’s empowerment, with the result that around 80% of our business units are run by women. The Axiz Asikhule forum, which is the Axiz workplace representative forum, initiated a Women in Tech programme with a focus to extend our development programmes across Axiz and eventually into the broader community. Like HP, we believe that investing in digital equity for girls and women has long-term benefits for them, their communities and the country’s economy.”

Le Grange adds that women’s empowerment should also be driven by women. “Women should not wait to be empowered. They must own their own growth and take advantage of available support systems and programmes, as well as opportunities that may be available in their places of work, communities, etc.

"If they have the means to do so, they must create and own those opportunities for themselves. Women should also help other women to progress, freely sharing their knowledge and skills. Knowledge is power, and that power is amplified when shared with like-minded individuals. Lift each other up so that change and growth can be effected for the generations to come.”

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