The Rwandan Ministry of Education in collaboration with UN Women has launched the African Girls Can Code Initiative (AGCCI) in Rwanda to promote gender equality in STEM education.
The AGCCI launch, which took place on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, saw attendance from Rwanda’s Minister for Education, Valentine Uwamariya, and the UN Women Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Dr. Maxime Houinato.
The initiative is funded by German technology company, Siemens, and seeks increase female interest in ICT. AGCCI will also arm young girls with coding skills so they can pursue careers and carve their own path in the field.
During the launch, the education ministry selected 50 females aged 17 to 25 with impressive scores in STEM subjects. These 50 were gifted laptops for use during the two-week, coding camp they’ll be attending later this year as part of the African Girls Can Code Initiative. The camp will strengthen their digital knowledge in areas like programming, robotics, animation and design creativity.
Speaking at the launch, Hon. Uwamariya, stated that Rwanda considers achieving gender equality in education as a top priority. She added that the education ministry aimed to achieve total equality in STEM fields by 2026.
“One of the biggest commitments of the Ministry of Education is to bridge the gender gap STEM subjects, to reach 50/50 by 2026,” Hon Uwamariya stated.
There is a clear case of underrepresentation of women in science and technology fields in Sub-Saharan Africa. 70% of STEM fields are filled with men, with women making up only 30% of the STEM workforce.
Despite strong progress for equality in Rwanda, several challenges related to gender inequality still persist in the education sector. The percentage of girls in STEM education at the secondary school level sits 47.7%.
The UN Women Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Dr. Maxime Houinato, thanked the Rwandan Government for its push for gender equality in the science and technology sector. She also encouraged the girls to use the skills they acquire through AGCCI to tackle societal problems.
“By involving women and girls in ICT and coding, we unlock their power to create user-friendly technology that addresses the specific needs of women and girls,” Dr. Houinato stated.
AGCCI Background.
AGCCI, was first launched in 2018 by UN Women and the African Union Commission (AUC) in collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and other partners. The initiative seeks to empower girls across the African continent by equipping them with digital literacy and computer skills.
