214 Views
Ph:DR; Mr. Antonio PEDRO, Acting Executive Secretary of ECA
More than 50 young women engineers and innovators across the continent have developed technologies to fight climate change and build resilience, reveals the Acting Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Antonio Pedro. This comes at a time when Africa and the rest of the world are grappling with the adverse effects of climate change and adaptation.
As part of the Connected African Girls Coding Camp and Climate Change Adaptation Hackathon Initiative, young female engineers and innovators designed creative projects incorporating emerging technologies to combat climate change and build resilience across the continent.
Pedro being in Niamey, Niger for the 9thAfrica Regional Forum for Sustainable Development, was attending the Innovation Fair and Awards Ceremony the day before, which saw 25 young women recognized for their outstanding skills in robotics and IoT, animation, games, web development, printing 3D and Turtle Stitch.
Pedro explains that the Commission would like to see more women who are well-aware, eager to learn more about their communities and able to lead the change they want to see in society. He points out that ECA would not only want to train future scientists who can contribute to the fourth industrial revolution, but also inspire confidence in young women.
Ph:DR: Young African girls innovate to fight climate change
The “African Girls Connected Initiative” was created to bridge the digital gender gap by equipping young African women with the foundational skills needed for long-term success in digital training, employment and entrepreneurship” said Mr. Pedro; continuing: “This is done by creating an environment conducive to collaborative efforts and innovation.”
It reaffirms that gender equality is a fundamental human rights issue as it catalyzes multiple effects on socio-economic development and further indicates that the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector plays a central role in promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women, as outlined in the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG).
“Nearly 90% of jobs in the near future will require skills related to new technologies. It is unthinkable that in Africa, the digital revolution will take place without young people and women,” says Mr. Pedro.
About 108 Nigerien girls between the ages of 12 and 25 were trained in person and more than 4,500 participated virtually. The camps were trained in technical disciplines ranging from web development, games, robotics, Artificial Intelligence and 3D printing as well as soft skills. “Today, Nigerien interns produced 25 projects and created impressive digital innovations to address local sustainability issues, using what they learned in just one week says Mr. Pedro, pointing out that the projects address issues related to conflict, safety and security, climate change, agriculture, education, road safety, water and sanitation, child marriage, among others.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Regional Director for Africa, Anne-Rachel Inne, says she is impressed by the technology and innovation developed by the young women. “It’s important to forge partnerships that will see technology and innovation deployed in rural areas where people need these devices the most.”“Most of our general population is rural. In the majority of our countries, around 60 to 80% of the population is rural. If you’re going to take technology that means nothing to them, then you have an ownership problem. You struggle to make it work and make it sustainable,” she declares. Mme Inne stresses the need to keep these apps simple for rural communities, stating that they should be in a language applicable to that particular population.
Young people also need to ensure that their creativity is protected by intellectual property laws in order to preserve it and gain value for designs or apps. Mme Inne urges young innovators to make sure their products are marketable, because that’s the only way to add value. (Source: CEA)
