The proportion of women using the internet globally is 48 percent compared to 55 percent of men. The International Telecommunication Union’s, ITU, latest data also shows that there’s a persistent gender gap in digital access.

Smart Africa and Digital Cooperation Organisation (DCO) have pledged to bridge the 12.5 percent gender gap in internet usage, through a memorandum of understanding that was signed on June 6. 

Through the agreement, the two institutions intend to work together to digitally empower women. They will also focus on youth and entrepreneurs through mentoring, empowerment, policy advocacy, and networking events.

They also agreed to support the creation of a more favorable business environment for innovation-driven enterprises to grow and thrive, by facilitating their cross-border expansion. And by exchanging knowledge in governance, strategy development, and initiatives funding.

The signing coincided with the 8th edition of World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC 2022), that just started in Kigali on the same day. The conference was themed "Connecting the unconnected to achieve sustainable development.”

President Paul Kagame, at the launch of the conference, called for collective efforts to tackle inequalities seen in digital transformation. He asked for prioritization of public-private partnerships to expand affordable digital access and equip vulnerable citizens with digital literacy skills.

Smart Africa and DCO, who also attended the conference, agreed to make their contribution by facilitating the minority in both digital connectivity and use.

"As we head towards becoming a single digital market in 2030, we won’t just need connectivity but smooth use as well,” said Lacina Koné, Director General at Smart Africa. "This agreement will seek to make digital access as inclusive as possible,” he noted.

"We want to make sure that women are not only connected but actually using the internet as well,” said Deemah Alyahya, Secretary General at Digital Cooperation Organization.

"It is expected that by 2030, 230 million women will have access but will not use the internet. So through capacity building and awareness programs, we seek to attract women to use the internet,” she continued.

Alyahya suggested that inclusive usage of the internet would further facilitate business digitalization, increase the GDP and foster job creation.

"The MoU will tackle how we can increase women (business) founders and how we can create markets beyond their national countries. As well as provide them with a red carpet approach on how to get the right investments and markets in the comfort of their home by utilizing digital technologies,” she said.

The DCO is a global multilateral organization aimed at enabling inclusive digital prosperity. It brings together the Ministries of Digital Economy and ICT of ten nations, Bahrain, Djibouti Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Rwanda and Saudi Arabia, that collectively represent nearly US$2 trillion in GDP and a market of over 600 million people, more than 70% of whom are under the age of 35. 

Smart Africa is an alliance of 32 African countries, international organizations and global private sector players tasked with the agenda to create a single digital market by 2030.

The alliance is empowered by African Heads of State to accelerate sustainable socio-economic development on the continent and usher Africa into the knowledge economy through affordable access to broadband and the use of ICTs.