Telecommunications giant celebrates women in tech

The Mobile Telecommunications Limited’s (MTC) second edition of the MTC Women in Tech Conference discussed various pressing issues.

These issues include horizontal career growth, mental health, embracing social media visibility, emerging technologies, mobile technologies and financial literacy.

The conference, which ran for two days during the weekend, is a women-led internal employee initiative with the objective of empowering and increasing women’s prominence in the tech space.

Gender parity, especially in sectors such as information technology (IT), plays a significant role in increasing fair, competitive and egalitarian practices in the field.

Whether it’s analysing gender dynamics in digital access, leadership roles in technology or IT visibility, men statistically tend to be more significantly represented in data.

In Africa, the gender gap in internet access stands at about 50% (as of 2020).

This means that about half of African women have to bear disadvantaged access to information, products and technology enabled through the internet. Thus, events such as Women in Tech Conference champion equality by bringing women’s occupational issues to light and making them an issue worth discussion and uniform importance.

Speaking on the topic ‘Avoiding Mental SPAM’, Albertine Shipena highlighted the importance of women not only being mentors to one another, but also being willing to open doors for other women while putting their reputation on the line.

She said women acting as sponsors for one another and vouching for fellow IT and tech colleagues is the next big step towards equity in the workplace.

Lecturer Nashilongo Gervasius and National Commission of Science and Technology chief executive Anicia Peters, who also spoke at the conference, highlighted the significance of a tech-based conference for women in Namibia.

They say often, female tech innovators are requested internationally, but their voices are not broadcasted locally.

Echoing this sentiment on the current state of IT, MTC chief technical and information officer Monica Nehemia said it is encouraging to see more women taking up and ploughing their trade in the information and communication technology sector.

She said more women showing interest in software development, understanding hardware, coding and being confident in bringing ideas to the table, gives a sense of belonging in IT and it inspires young girls wanting to work in the sector.

“It might sound insignificant, but seeing people who represent what you represent, women who stand for what you stand for… that reminds me that I don’t just work in IT. I show up for so many people who need to see corporate female leaders in real life.

“Promoting leading female voices in IT via events such as MTC Women in Tech is not only empowering the current women players but it is also inspirational to IT-aspiring young women who need to see female leaders,” Nehemia said, adding that this is not something all women have had.