Vuma News

With a dedicated, all-female team leading the charge, GirlCode has transformed from its humble beginnings as a small hackathon in 2014 with just 20 participants to a powerful NGO that has empowered over 80,000 women and girls in coding, programming and digital literacy across the continent. Through their innovative hackathons and impactful programmes, GirlCode continues to drive significant change in the tech industry.

GirlCode’s inaugural Pan-African hackathon

This year, GirlCode celebrated a groundbreaking milestone with its first-ever Pan-African hackathon, uniting aspiring female coders from across the continent to tackle pressing global challenges aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

In an industry where diversity and female representation are urgently needed, South Africa’s ICT industry still has a long way to go. According to Women in Tech ZA, women held just 56,000 out of 236,000 available ICT roles in 2023, highlighting the critical importance of initiatives like GirlCode.

By leading this historic event, GirlCode is not only bridging the gender gap but also empowering the next generation of women to drive technological innovation and change.

GirlCode’s success

At Vuma, we’re proud of our long-standing partnership with GirlCode, which began in 2019. Our joint efforts on initiatives such as Career Days, inspire young girls to explore careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Through these Career Days, girls are introduced to various tech careers and encouraged to pursue them. As part of our Fibre to Schools programme, we have connected over 780 schools to free 1Gbps fibre internet. Our goal is simple: to equip young women and girls with in-demand digital skills and promote inclusivity in the tech sector.

According to Taylor Kwong, Head of Marketing & CSI at Vuma, the demand for tech skills is rapidly increasing across various industries. “Coding education is critical for preparing girls for future job markets, enhancing their employability, and bridging the gender gap in the tech industry. Introducing coding and related subjects to schools starts with a single action: equipping learners and teachers with unlimited access to the internet through uncapped fibre connectivity.”

Echoing these sentiments, Bongekile Tlhakanye, Head of Department for Service Management at Vuma, adds: “Initiatives like GirlCode are essential to bridging the gender gap in tech and encouraging more women into fields like telecommunications. GirlCode reaching 10 years of incredible is a huge milestone. Over the past decade, they have consistently empowered young South African women with coding skills and opportunities in the tech sector. The fact that this year’s event has been expanded to include more young women across the continent highlights their commitment to inclusivity and enabling even more young women to break barriers and thrive in this industry.”

Vuma continues to support the GirlCode Hackathon this year as a Gold Sponsor. “When you empower young girls, you empower communities. We want to see more women in tech because women, by nature, are problem solvers and critical thinkers. By working together to improve access to opportunities, we can create brighter futures for our young girls and drive significant change,” says Tlhakanye.

Zandile’s vision of uplifting women in the tech industry remains through her continued social entrepreneurship efforts, including self-funding GirlCode Hackathons and other initiatives. We’re proud to support her on this journey, backing initiatives that create real change.

For more information on GirlCode, visit www.girlcode.co.za

GirlCode’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GirlCodeZA

GirlCode’s Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/girlcode_za/

GirlCode’s Twitter page: https://x.com/GirlCode_za

Featured in: https://www.itweb.co.za/article/girlcodes-first-pan-african-hackathon-tackles-global-pressing-issues/rW1xL75nYzPMRk6m