Information and Communication as well as digital Technologies are major drivers of gender equality and women’s economic empowerment across all sectors. On the other hand, there are risks of digital technologies that contribute to gender inequality in accessing ICT. Cyberbullying and online harassment are becoming common challenges among young females in the digital era.

Young girls and women with improved access to these technologies can benefit from increased employment, business performance, and access to opportunities as well as reduced women’s time spent on unpaid care and domestic work, enabling them to actively participate in the labor force. However, existing sociocultural norms, gender-based discriminations, and practices have a detrimental effect on women’s ability to access and use ICT to its fullest capacity and potential.

UN Women promotes and advocates young girls’ access to and use of ICT for advancing gender equality and women’s economic empowerment. It builds the capacity of young girls and women to increase their entrepreneurial skills and livelihood opportunities which contributes to close gender gaps in the digital divide and other related constraints that disadvantage women, including heavy workloads.

UN Women has been implementing the African Girls Can Code Initiative (AGCCI) that trains young girls to become programmers, creators, and designers, placing them on track to take up education and careers in ICT and CODING through conducting regional and national coding camps. The program enables young girls to improve their skills in ICT including coding and programming. The program supported 450 young girls aged between 17-20 years in Ethiopia to participate in the national coding camps.

Currently, UN Women in collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs(MOWSA),  Ministry of Innovation and Technology(MOIT), Ministry of Tourism,  and Ministry of Labor and Skills(MOLS) is planning to award young girls who are computer programmers with innovative technologies; and products that have the potential to support other women in business, women enterprises, returnee migrant domestic workers to support them to engage in better livelihood options and women in agribusiness cooperatives as well as to support gender-responsive tourism. . Thus, to motivate and build the capacity of these girls having already existing innovative initiatives/ projects/programs/products/services that can support other women to increase their skills, facilitate better business operations, and thereby increase earnings and livelihood status as well as engage in public discussions including the national dialogue. UN Women will provide an award for best innovators and programmers.