Huawei rolls out plan to bridge gender gap in technology realm

Huawei Kenya Head of Public Affairs Adam Lane. FILE PHOTO | NMG 

By JAMES NGUNJIRI

More by this Author

Summary

• Huawei Kenya has identified key areas to support girls and bridge the gender gap on ICT disparity in the workforce.
• These includes hiring and supporting female employees and providing internships for female students.
• About 50.3 per cent of Kenya’s population are women, yet many of them are under-represented in the ICT sector.

Technology firm Huawei Kenya is pushing for the diversity and inclusion of gender that aims at seeing more women advancing in the technological front.

Huawei Kenya has said it has identified several key areas to support girls and bridge the gender gap on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) disparity in the workforce.

These includes hiring and supporting female employees and providing internships for female students.

Others are providing training for underprivileged female youth, donating ICT equipment for girls to use in schools, and helping learn how to use ICT and the internet to improve their lives.

Huawei Kenya Head of Public Affairs Adam Lane said there is more work to be done to bridge the gender gap and to create diversity within the ICT sector.

“As one of the top technology companies in the country and in the world, we believe that we have a responsibility to empower the communities we operate in. Supporting the girl child is a deliberate strategy for us,” said Mr Lane.

READ: Huawei goes for middle class with Sh40,000 smartphone

About 50.3 per cent of Kenya’s population are women, yet many of them are under-represented in the ICT sector.

Mr Lane said over the years they have engaged in sustainable projects with the government, the ICT regulator and other private firms that have brought about opportunities for women in the ICT sector.

“We believe that initiatives like our seeds for the future program are a key solution to improving gender and diversity agenda as they provide training ground for more women to be exposed to the revolution filed of technology,” said Mr Lane.

Last year, Huawei launched a regional training centre in Nairobi with the aim of growing technical skills in ICT.