ICTs enlisted in the development of African women

Most civil society organisations are looking at ways of using information and communication technologies (ICTs) to achieve their objectives. Women in Africa face particular challenges but there are examples of good practice and ways for civil society to make it easier for women to access and use ICTs for development.

The ICT Policy Monitor Project of the Association for Progressive Communications - Africa (APC-Africa) has surveyed the current situation and highlighted obstacles to women’s access, how to overcome barriers and examples of good practice.

Even in the most well-connected African countries, women make up a very small proportion of internet users (for example in Uganda, South Africa and Senegal women account for 31.5, 19 and 12 percent of users respectively). There are many barriers:

• Women need better literacy (including information literacy), language and computer skills to make the most of ICTs.
• Many people – both women and men – still feel that technology is for men, so women are excluded or do not feel comfortable including themselves.
• Many structural reasons also work against women. Rural connectivity is lower than in urban areas and many of the places where women might access ICTs are not designed to be safe and acceptable for them.
• Within businesses and government women still do not have access to higher paying technology-related jobs and policy development.
• Content is also a problem. There is too little of women’s viewpoints, knowledge, experiences and concerns on the Internet in general; perspectives from women in developing nations are particularly lacking.

Women need to be able to create and develop their own content, in languages of their choice. ICTs offer immense possibilities for reducing poverty, improving governance, and advancing gender equality in Africa – provided they are made more accessible and consciously used to help achieve these objectives. Case studies evaluated by APC-Africa show that there are a several key ways to overcome these barriers, including:

• Educate teachers to encourage girls to use and study technology.
• Educate and train more women in order to challenge often deeply ingrained aversion to technology.
• Fight for universal access as a right, but also ensure access is appropriate for women.
• Create better policies to make ICTs more accessible to women, and ensure that these policies have targets and are monitored.
• Combine access to ICTs with activities that give women other important business and social skills.
• Create relevant content – in relevant languages – that complements existing technologies, such as radio, television, video and print.
• Lobby both governments and industries to be aware of gender inequality so that they can try to address imbalances.

Source(s):
‘The Role of Information and Communication Technologies in the Development of African Women’, Association for Progressive Communications, by Jennifer Radloff, Natasha Primo and Alice Munyua, 2004 Full document.

Funded by: HIVOS

id21 Research Highlight: 11 April 2006

Further Information:
Jennifer Radloff
APC–Africa–Women
PO Box 29755
Melville 2109
South Africa

Tel: + 27 11 726 1692
Fax: + 27 11 726 1692
Contact the contributor: jenny@apcwomen.org

The Association for Progressive Communications

Other related links:
'Can community telecentres reach the most disadvantaged in Africa?'

'Women, ICTs and rural development'

'Women’s voices get a boost: accessing technologies for empowerment'