Digital Woman’s Day (JFD, for Journée de la Femme Digitale) is unveiling the highlights of its first event in Africa, on the theme of ‘Women: World Changers’ which will take place on 13-14 June in Dakar, Senegal
Soham El Wardini, mayor of Dakar, said, “We are honoured that the Senegalese capital has been chosen as the international platform to launch Digital Woman’s Day in Africa. Our country has great ambition when it comes to strengthening and developing ICT and creating a sustainable digital economy, which we support through a multitude of initiatives like the project ‘Dakar Digital City’.”
The Margaret Awards!
The Margaret Awards pay tribute every year to Margaret Hamilton, the NASA computer scientist who worked to accomplish the first human step on the moon. The award rewards one digital woman working to shape a better world.
For this event, the award will place the spotlight, for the first time in Africa, on the winner of the first edition of the JFD Margaret awards, Arielle Kitio, founder of Caysti, and the Margaret of Honour, Rebecca Enonchong, founder of AppsTech.
These two African entrepreneurs will receive the congratulations of the Senegalese minister of telecommunications and the digital economy, Ndeye Tické Ndiaye DIOP, as well as Babacar Kane, general manager for IBM Senegal and West African States.
The agenda for this first edition is education, confidence and financing with the aim of accelerating diversity in the digital world.
Delphine Remy-Boutang, CEO of the bureau and co-founder of Digital Women’s Day, added, “Because the Internet has no borders, we need to build bridges between continents, between these women entrepreneurs who are changing the world. We need to do this not only in Europe, but in Africa, which has the world’s highest number of women entrepreneurs. We believe in the power of collective strength, at both local and international level, in overcoming the challenge of better representation for women.”
The JFD Learning Expedition
The 14 June will be dedicated to exploring the cutting-edge ecosystem of entrepreneurship and technological innovation in Dakar, in partnership with the telephone operator Orange-Sonatel.
Rokhaya Solange NDIR, head of division, digital ecosystem relations, Sonatel, stated, “Partnering with the first edition of Digital Women’s Day in Africa is a symbol for us, it sends a strong message. It confirms our commitments to the issues of diversity and parity in the digital sphere on the continent, and to allow the general public to discover this teeming ecosystem of groundbreaking talent and innovative initiatives led by women in the digital ecosystem.”
In addition to these visits, the JFD Learning Expedition will enable participants to try out the latest innovations and to discuss with local investors and entrepreneurs.
