Our first exchange session aimed at women

Around thirty women took part this Saturday 11 May in our very first format of its kind: an information and orientation session dedicated to women.

Initial motivations

The idea of offering such a format, dedicated to women, was born from two main observations made throughout the training sessions IKOUĒ has offered since last year.

First, there is a low representation of women at the training sessions. This is a concerning finding, because it reflects a broader trend in information technology, where women are often under-represented.

Second, those who do attend rarely speak up. This may be due to various factors, such as a lack of self-confidence or the absence of female role models in the field.

In response to these observations, we decided to create a space specifically dedicated to women, where they can feel at ease to ask questions, share their experiences and learn about the opportunities available in the information technology sector.

The IKOUĒ Academy training programmes currently focus on software development. As the project grows, we will be able to cover other subjects, still within information technology. To know which path to chart for women, we needed to speak to the women themselves. This participatory approach will allow us not only to draw more women toward the technology field, but also to give them the tools they need to succeed and thrive professionally.

Content of the session

This session was not about training but about informing and guiding. We invited to it Murielle Ouaradague, developer analyst in the IT study and development department of the CNSS in Bangui, to share her journey and experience and to lead the session.

Her testimony shone a light on the challenges she faced and how she overcame them, thereby serving as a role model for the participants.

Over two hours, we presented several possible careers in the IT field, such as project management, sales, digital marketing, strategic steering, analysis and design, programming, and so on. Each career was explained in detail, highlighting the required skills, the career opportunities and the specific challenges. We also discussed the current and future trends of the job market in information technology, underlining the importance of continuous training to stay competitive.

The impact of women in the information technology sector

The question of access to information for women is a globally critical and strategic subject.

The IKOUĒ team wishes to contribute to the positive evolution of things in the Central African Republic. By informing and guiding women, we hope not only to increase their representation in the information technology sector, but also to enable them to play an active and influential role in this field.

One of the important points in this goal is to inform and remind women of their importance in the IT world, namely:

• More diversity, therefore more innovation
• Offering a different approach
• Becoming mentors and role models for young girls
• Helping to create a safer professional and social environment for women
• Better financial management of projects
• Women recruit more women
• and many others

Each of these points was discussed, showing how the inclusion of women can benefit not only individuals but also society and the economy as a whole.

Conclusion

This first information and orientation session dedicated to women in information technology was well received (a questionnaire is provided at the end of each of our sessions). It helped shine a light on the many roles women can play in this fast-growing sector. By offering a space for dialogue and exchange, we hope to have helped demystify certain subjects.