A total of 64 young women graduated from the 16th cohort of the SheCanCODE Bootcamp, implemented by Igire Rwanda Organization (IRO), on July 29, marking another milestone in Rwanda&039;s efforts to bridge the gender gap in technology.

The graduates join a growing generation of software developers equipped with the skills to solve real-world challenges. Their achievements were celebrated during the conference themed "Women in Tech Event and Connect.”

The conference brought together government officials, IRO partners, tech companies, industry leaders, mentors, SheCanCODE alumni, families, and friends to celebrate the graduates, who successfully completed advanced and associate software development trainings under the SheCanCODE Bootcamp.

The trainings are under the Digital Skills for Employability (DSE) programme, led by Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT) in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation.

The graduation also marks the beginning of the graduates&039; next chapter. While some are already contributing in the workforce and others are transitioning into the workforce, they will continue to receive mentorship, coaching, and connections to earning opportunities. And beyond celebrating academic achievement, the event highlighted resilience, innovation, and the growing role women are playing in driving Rwanda's digital transformation.

The initiative is "built around the conviction that Rwanda's digital future depends on women having equal ground to build it from" and 'SheCanCODE' has, since its inception in 2016, continued to equip young women with practical coding skills, mentorship and career pathways into the country's expanding digital economy, organisers affirmed.

Government calls for more opportunities beyond training

Josephine Mukesha, Director General of the National Identification Agency (NIDA), said empowering women in technology is central to Rwanda's ambition of building an inclusive digital future.

She noted that technology is transforming economies and lives, but said those transformations can only reach their full potential when women participate equally.

"When women are fully included in technology, innovation becomes stronger, communities become more resilient and national development becomes more sustainable," she said.

Mukesha added that Rwanda is deliberately investing in gender equality and digital inclusion through national policies including Vision 2050, the National Strategy for Transformation (NST), and the ICT Sector Strategic Plan.

According to her, initiatives such as Girls in ICT, Miss Geek Africa, the Digital Ambassadors Programme, coding boot camps and the recently launched One Million Coders Initiative, which seeks to equip one million young Rwandans with coding and digital skills by 2029, demonstrate the country's commitment to building a digitally skilled workforce.

However, she underlined that providing internet access or digital devices alone does not automatically create equal participation.

"Access alone does not guarantee participation," she said. "Many young women continue to face challenges such as limited devices, connectivity costs and competing household responsibilities."

She described targeted initiatives such as SheCanCODE as essential because they move women "from access to qualification, and from qualification to employment."

Mukesha commended Igire Rwanda for preparing hundreds of young women with practical software development skills since 2018, saying the programme complements national efforts by ensuring women transition successfully into employment.

She also challenged employers to increase internship opportunities and entry-level recruitment for women graduates while strengthening mentorship and career progression.

"We are preparing qualified junior talent at a pace the market has not yet absorbed," she said. "Every employer represented here should commit to internships and placements over the next 12 months."

Mukesha urged companies to examine whether women remain represented in senior technical leadership positions and called for greater inclusion of women living with disabilities.

"We should measure success not by the number of conferences we organise, but by the number of women employed in technology, startups founded by women, businesses funded by women and graduates successfully transitioning into meaningful careers," she added.

Closing the gender gap through technology

Esther Beza Byizigiro, Programme Manager at Igire Rwanda Organization, said that the programme was created after recognising the persistent underrepresentation of women in technology workplaces.

"SheCanCODE was built because our co-founders realised that most people they interacted with in technology were men. There needed to be balance," she said.

She pointed out that increasing women's participation is not only about gender equality but also about Rwanda's economic future.

"The entire country needs women leaders, women innovators and women builders. Rwanda's digital economy cannot grow to its full potential if half of the population remains underrepresented," she noted.

According to Beza, previous cohorts have developed more than 30 technology projects, many addressing pressing community challenges.

Among the success stories is E-Mboni, an innovation designed to improve digital inclusion for persons with visual impairments, enabling more youth with disabilities to participate in technology.

She said several former participants are already working in technology companies, while others have launched startups and social innovations inspired by projects developed during the programme.

"My expectation is for employers, investors and innovators to recognise that these young women are capable of building solutions that change lives," she said.

From aspiring doctor to software entrepreneur

Cynthia Iradukunda is a SheCanCODE alumna, software engineer, and Co-founder and CEO of SafeSpeak. She recalled that she originally planned to become a doctor after studying Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics in secondary school.

"SheCanCODE completely changed my path," she said.

The programme introduced her to software development, eventually leading her to pursue a Computing degree at African Leadership University (ALU) in Mauritius before completing further studies at Carnegie Mellon University Africa (CMU).

Today she is running "SafeSpeak", a confidential digital mental health platform designed to make counselling more accessible.

The platform, born from a university hackathon, enables users to anonymously seek mental health support through professional counsellors while interacting with an AI companion named Neza for guidance.

Iradukunda credited SheCanCODE for opening opportunities she had never imagined.

"Without SheCanCODE, I wouldn't be here," she said.

She encouraged graduates to remain patient while pursuing careers in technology and entrepreneurship.

Instead of waiting only for employment opportunities, she urged them to identify everyday community problems that technology can solve.

"Every morning ask yourself: What impact can I make? Africa has many problems waiting to be solved."

She also encouraged graduates to take advantage of advances in artificial intelligence to validate business ideas and build innovative products more quickly.

Graduates ready to build solutions

Among this year's graduates was Esther Tuyisenge, who specialised in front-end software development and pursued Software Engineering at AUCA.

She said the boot camp strengthened her practical development skills through intensive project-based learning rather than relying solely on artificial intelligence.

"We learned how to build projects ourselves and understand what happens behind the code," she explained.

Her team developed Umuhuza, a digital platform connecting creative professionals with recruiters.

The platform allows creatives to showcase portfolios while helping employers identify suitable talent using recommendation features and availability tracking.

Tuyisenge said solving real societal problems through technology became one of the programme's biggest lessons.

"We learned that knowledge becomes meaningful when theory turns into practice," she said.

Another graduate, Marita Marenza, described SheCanCODE as proof of Rwanda's growing commitment to women's empowerment.

She said perceptions that technology belongs only to men are gradually disappearing.

"As women, we now have opportunities to contribute and create change," she said.

Her team's innovation, 'AgriConnect', seeks to connect agricultural cooperatives with buyers through a digital marketplace, addressing marketing challenges faced by farmers, particularly in rural communities.

She noted that the programme encouraged participants to think beyond Rwanda and design scalable solutions capable of addressing regional and global challenges.

Committed to building the next generation

Our commitment goes beyond graduation. At Igire Rwanda Organization, we are dedicated to creating pathways where young women gain not only technical skills but also the confidence, resilience, discipline, and continuous mentorship, coaching, and opportunities to thrive after the program. Every SheCanCODE graduate represents our belief that investing in women today is investing in Rwanda's digital future.