Despite the far-reaching benefits of the digital revolution, we are all in agreement that some segments of the world population, notably (WE/US/ I ) women in the global south have not been able to leverage these benefits fully.
Globally, the reasons for gender digital exclusion are numerous and complex. These include and are not limited to traditional gender roles, limited access to technology and internet connectivity, online harassment and violence, age, confidence, societal expectations, and the generally limited female role models in digital innovation. The general low confidence of women in using digital technologies creates a gender gap in digital literacy and hinders the ability to participate fully in the digital economy.
In Sierra Leone, the Minister of Information and Communications, Honourable Mohamed Rahman Swaray tells me that the Bio Administration is working assiduously to revolutionize an ecosystem where women and girls have been disproportionately left behind in accessing and using digital technologies. This phenomenon has been a pervasive challenge hindering the realization of a fully inclusive digital future in Sierra Leone.
The Bio administration from its inception promised to revolutionize Sierra Leone and even ensured its implementation by inking it in the Medium-Term Development plan. Suddenly, words and phrases including the 4th industrial revolution and human capital development became the new buzz in our ‘Salone’ dictionary. The setting up of the Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation ignited a new hope for Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) enthusiasts. The digital revolution has begun!
The Ministry of Information and Communications has always been proud to report that, under the leadership of His Excellency Dr Julius Maada Bio, the Ministry of Information and Communications embarked on bold and ambitious reforms aimed at increasing the uptake and use of digital technologies, expanding internet access, promoting the development of local online content, and emphasizing government use of internet and data to improve service delivery, transparency, and governance.
As a result of the policy interventions, Sierra Leone has witnessed a remarkable increase in internet penetration and access levels in the country. The number of Internet users increased from 0.37 million people in 2017 to about 2.67 million users as of June 2022 recording more than a 70% increase. Kepios’s analysis indicates that internet users in Sierra Leone increased by 296 thousand between 2021 and 2022. GSMA Intelligence's numbers also indicate that mobile connections in Sierra Leone were equivalent to 113.1 per cent of the total population in January 2022. Overall, the number of mobile connections in Sierra Leone increased by 888 thousand (+10.6 per cent) between 2021 and 2022.
But what has been missing in all discussions and data is tangible data on how many women have been included in the digital ecosystem. Statistics tell us that at the global level, women make up 28.4 per cent of the workforce engaged in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and only 30 per cent on average in sub-Saharan Africa. More so, more men are more likely to go online, own a mobile phone, own a smartphone, and use social media websites. In Sierra Leone, the proportion of women who own or have access to a voice and internet penetration is unknown. I must admit that these are all lost opportunities for most women.
But again, there is hope, as it’s high on the Ministry of Information and Communication’s agenda to fully implement the recommendations of the ‘groundbreaking’ Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Law 2022 and in so doing audit the gender disparities through the Universal Access Development Fund (UADF). The UADF will be undertaking a Nationwide Survey to help bridge the digital divide, especially in rural areas and to further disaggregate the data collected to establish the number of women/men that have access to digital devices and their usages.
The Universal Access Fund of Sierra Leone’s Real Access Gap Survey will be guided by these principles:
• Provide concrete recommendations for shaping existing and new policy frameworks on how to tackle the gender digital divide,
• Facilitating proactive opportunities for policymakers, educators and grassroots initiatives tackling digital literacy to learn from one another,
• Document success and impact stories, including challenges and ‘failures’ in digital equality processes and policies.
• Provide an evidence base of proven and possible measurements,
• Create awareness for the EQUALS global partnership among policymakers, as prospective implementation in-country partners.
Today, as I sat in the audience listening to young graduates who have excelled in STEM at the International Women’s Day confab organized by the UN Women and the UN family, I was impressed by how STEM has boosted efficiency and productivity in our local products (hmmm revolutionized the black soap) and its expansion in Sierra Leone and beyond. The black soap during my youth was made from ash and some herbs shrouded with mystery depending on the region you find yourself in. I learnt from one of the female speakers that it has broken down geographical barriers and enabled cultural exchange through the use of digital platforms. Yes oh! YouTube even unlocked the language barriers and new opportunities for these youths. Access to reliable information through the internet has supported these youth’s ability to make informed decisions on important issues and created economic opportunities.
What if more girls have access to voice and the internet? Can you imagine how our socio-economic conditions would have improved in our communal communities? (Sisi man dae bad- would have significantly reduced ah ). The development of digital innovations has unlocked opportunities in artificial intelligence, big data, and the Internet of Things. These technologies have enormous potential to transform Sierra Leone, paving the way for our ‘bread and butter’.
As the June elections approach, I must add that digital exclusion can have significant implications for women’s ability to participate in public life and advocate for their rights and interests. We have witnessed how some women including our First Lady, Dr Fatima Maada Bio, Dr Sylvia Olayinka Blyden and Yvonne Aki Sawyer have successfully used digital platforms and technologies such as Facebook and Twitter to express their opinions, share information and resources, organize collective action and socialize. The digital space has become an important tool for political participation.
Finally, let me end that there is an urgent need to prioritize women’s representation and participation in the digital space to attain the 4th industrial revolution. This can be achieved through:
• Strengthening capacity within government at the intersection of ICT, Gender, and Education policies, towards achieving coherent digital literacy/skilling initiatives and investments from the public sector.
• Learning from insights drawn from the networks of grassroots initiatives conducting digital skills training for women and girls, and how these bottom-up approaches can be supported by the government for scalability and sustainability in their respective regions of operation.
• Facilitating discourse between women and youth with policymakers, bringing much-needed perspectives from their experience to the policy table and further strengthening multi-stakeholder engagement.
• And finally we need strong loud voices in the civic tech space and strong female role models.
LONTA KA DA BAI!