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Challenges and Opportunities – Global Survey Results on Women’s Tech Careers

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Tech Careers

New survey reveals COVID, cost of living crisis, skills shortages and lack of mentorship have negatively affected women’s career development in the past 2 years

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, March 8, 2023/APO Group/ — 

52% believe women’s careers in tech suffered due to COVID-19 & cost-of-living crisis; 32% of those in the tech sector say they haven’t received a promotion for over 24 months; 68% see a skills shortage as a key barrier to entry; 21% of women in Africa tech roles are working more than one job to make ends meet; women still need better pay and better flexible working opportunities.

A new global survey of women and allies ahead of International Women’s Day (IWD) today, 8 March, held under the theme “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality’”, reveals that parity for women in technology-related positions and industries is still a way off, and suggests that COVID-19 has had a major role to play in blocking women’s advancement, along with a skills shortage, and that women are further hampered in their progression by a cost-of-living crisis and lack of access to funding.

The survey entitled, ‘A deep dive into challenges & opportunities for women’s tech careers and women-led enterprises across Asia, Europe and Africa’, attracted respondents from those three regions, with 45% of respondents who live and work in Africa, 38% based in Europe and 17% in Asia. The survey, conducted by global tech event Africa Tech Festival (http://www.AfricaTechFestival.com/) and tech news portal Connecting Africa (http://www.ConnectingAfrica.com/) in conjunction with London Tech Week and Asia Tech X Singapore, is part of a new annual benchmark survey mapping barriers faced by women in business, perceptions around why they cannot move forward, as well as potential solutions and opportunities to bridging the equality divide.

Challenges

The survey found that over half (56%) of respondents believed that when it came to the recent pandemic and to economic challenges in general, it was women who missed out on work opportunities, were forced to scale down work and take time off to care for children, as well as undertaking more household chores.  

26% of the respondents believe women are more likely than men to have been denied access to financial support from governments, whilst a further 26% perceive women as shouldering most of the burden of childcare or care of other dependants in their households whilst juggling work responsibilities.

These compounded the challenges women in the increase of the cost of living, with a little over 2/3 of European and Asian women respondents’ employment situation was impacted by the cost-of-living crisis. However, that number increases to almost 81% of African women. The cost-of-living crisis seems to have a bigger impact in Africa than in Asia and Europe.

Working more than one job is increasingly commonplace – 15%  revealed they used to be self-employed or own a business but have now taken another job whilst running their business on the side, with 21% of African respondents confirming they are now working two or more jobs, a greater proportion than their counterparts in Europe and Asia.

Whilst women still experience gender bias in the tech sector, overall, unemployment in the tech ecosystem was found to be less than other surveyed industry sectors, with just 2% of women tech workers across the three regions targeted made redundant over the past 24 months. 12% of those respondents are now working full time when they used to be unemployed and a further 16% are now working full-time up from their part time roles. 

73% of women respondents across the three continents have seen their employment situation in the tech sector impacted by a lack of career development opportunities, with 32% revealing they had a pay loss and/or haven’t received a promotion for more than 24 months, although this could be due to the pervading economic climate.

Lack of funding and support for women in tech

The survey shows that women are still a long way from achieving equality when it comes to obtaining funding. Having a greater amount of women-focused business events and awards is perceived as one of the most powerful initiatives, which has helped women-led start-ups get better access to funding over the last 24 months. This is closely followed by more women in tech being championed in the press.  African women, however, seem to struggle the most, with 19% saying it is now significantly more difficult to access funding.

We need to focus from the grassroots up and empower Africa’s young women to follow paths into STEM careers by providing better funding

Other factors that could lead to better support for women-led business and to encourage more women to enter the field, include the presence of more women-led venture capital funds and women-focused accelerator programmes.

Underlining this, and on a continent that is increasingly reliant on the start-up ecosystem for economic sustainability, Africa is where women (41%) struggle the most to launch a new business, whilst 68% of respondents believe skills shortage to be the biggest obstacle to women entering the sector.

Sadly, 40% of African women respondents believed it was more difficult for women to secure a pay rise in tech, whilst 41% said it was more difficult for women to achieve senior leadership or board positions.

Commenting on the reality of the situation in Africa, Paula Gilbert, Connecting Africa Editor, said: “Africa is making strides towards more gender parity in the tech and telecoms industry but there is still a lot that needs to be done to have true equality in the sector. When it comes to investment, the proportion of funding going to female-founded and female-led start-ups in Africa, remains incredibly low and representation at a C-suite and board level remains skewed towards male leaders.

“We need to focus from the grassroots up and empower Africa’s young women to follow paths into STEM careers by providing better funding, access to skills programmes and mentorship opportunities. That said, there is no silver bullet to cure this problem, it needs to be approached on all sides to break down the biases that women face on a daily basis and break the cycle for the next generation.”

Solutions

Speaking to Gilbert’s point, women would like to see better visibility and promotion of STEM career opportunities for women to help more women break into and thrive in the tech industry. This would help achieve more gender equity with their male counterparts in the sector, as well as more equal pay between genders and better flexible work opportunities.

Women also believe that there need to be more mentorship programmes for women, as well as opportunities to participate in panel discussions and debates and the development of female role models, which will assist in encouraging more women to enter STEM related businesses.

James Williams, Director, Events, Connecting Africa, Informa Tech, agrees women should be given more representation saying: “International Women’s Day is an incredibly important date in our calendar at Africa Tech Festival.  In recent years, many African nations have led the way in female representation and empowerment, from government through to enterprise sectors but there’s no doubt there is some way to go to achieve gender parity across tech and telecoms. That said, given the successes we witness at Africa Tech Festival each year, I truly believe it’s an area Africa can lead the world in, and we are pleased to play our small part in making that happen!”

Given that women bore the brunt of the parenting role and household care, women also believe that more support at work for parents and having flexible working hours and arrangements would help level the playing fields.

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is ‘Innovation and technology for gender equality’ and according to the survey 5G, 4G and Mobile Technology is perceived as the most important innovation over the last 10 years.  This has had the biggest impact on gender equality (28% of all respondents), with Edtech being the number one innovation that African women say has helped them.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa Tech Festival.

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Unstoppable Africa 2026 to bring African and global Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and leaders to New York to drive investment, ownership and growth across the continent

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September 3, 2026

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The program will focus on how Africa can capture more value from its critical minerals, strengthen infrastructure and trade, mobilise capital at scale and build more integrated and competitive markets

NEW YORK, United States of America, September 2, 2026/APO Group/ –More than 2,000 African and global business leaders plus heads of state will gather in New York on September 20–21 for Unstoppable Africa, flagship event of the Global Africa Business Initiative (GABI) (https://www.GABI.biz/).
 




 

Convened by UN Secretary-General António Guterres and H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, and organized and coordinated by the UN Global Compact, the fifth edition of Unstoppable Africa will convene under the theme “Powering Business, Scaling Economies, Shaping the Future”.

Held on the sidelines of the opening of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, Unstoppable Africa will feature leading  investors, policymakers, creatives, sports executives and decision-makers working to accelerate Africa’s business, trade and investment and amplify its role in shaping global markets.

Sanda Ojiambo, Assistant Secretary-General and CEO of the United Nations Global Compact, said: “This year, we are sharpening the focus on mobilising capital, forging partnerships, building businesses and turning Africa’s assets and opportunities into investable, scalable outcomes. The ambition is not simply to shape how the world sees Africa, but to shape where global capital flows, where value is created and how Africa can capture it.”

The ambition is not simply to shape how the world sees Africa, but to shape where global capital flows, where value is created and how Africa can capture it

The high-level convening comes at a time of global supply chains being redrawn by geopolitical tension, energy insecurity and shifting trade rules. For the African continent, these pressures  create an opportunity to leverage its critical minerals, renewable energy potential, expanding consumer markets and young workforce to attract long-term capital and capture more value from global shifts.

Unstoppable Africa 2026 will look at how the continent can turn these shifts into lasting economic opportunity.  The program will focus on how Africa can capture more value from its critical minerals, strengthen infrastructure and trade, mobilise capital at scale and build more integrated and competitive markets. Discussions will also explore Africa’s energy transition, the development and ownership of AI and digital infrastructure, the financing and global distribution of African creative industries, and how sport can become a stronger engine for investment, talent development and economic growth.

Other confirmed speakers include:

  • H.E. Julius Maada Bio, President, Republic of Sierra Leone
  • H.E. Duma Gideon Boko, President, Republic of Botswana
  • H.E. Paula Ingabire, Minister of ICT and Innovation, Rwanda
  • Samaila Zubairu, President and CEO, African Finance Corporation
  • Nolitha Fakude, Chairperson, Anglo American South Africa
  • Tidjane Thiam, General Partner, Allied Critical Minerals Fund
  • Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa, CEO and Executive Director, Naspers
  • Olugbenga Agboola, CEO, Flutterwave
  • Cameron Bailey, CEO, Toronto International Film Festival
  • Wanuri Kahiu, filmmaker
  • Akunna Cook, Founder and CEO, Next Narrative Africa Fund
  • Luol Deng, former NBA All-Star and President, South Sudan Basketball Federation
  • Clare Akamanzi, CEO, NBA Africa
  • Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General, United Nations
  • Massad Boulos, Senior Advisor to the President of the United States on Arab and African Affairs
  • Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All

The five themes of GABI and Unstoppable Africa, namely Energy, Digital Transformation, Trade, Creative Industries, and Sport, will be supported by high-level plenaries, CEO and investor roundtables, ministerial dialogues, startup showcases, and GABI Solutions Labs. The 2026 edition will create opportunities to spark transactions, develop investment vehicles, and form cross-border alliances and partnerships. Full implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area could create a $3.4 trillion market, according to UNCTAD’s 2024 Economic Development in Africa Report, highlighting the scale of the opportunity as regional integration deepens.

Once again, the event will be hosted by Folly Bah Thibault, Senior News Anchor at Al Jazeera Media Network, and Larry Madowo, International Correspondent at CNN, and will spotlight more than 500 nominees in the Unstoppable Africans campaign.

Media partners to date include African Business/New African; African Renewal; Afrique Media; AllAfrica; Arise News; Business Digest Magazine; Citizen TV; EIB Network; Envoy Magazine; The Kenyan Wall Street; News Central TV; SDG News; The Africa Report; The Nation Media Group; TIME Africa.

Unstoppable Africa 2026 will take place at the New York Marriott Marquis, Times Square, 1535 Broadway, New York City. Accredited media and other eligible communication professionals can register at https://apo-opa.co/4xvM3xh.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Global Africa Business Initiative.

 

 




 

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New DHL-Absa Partnership Opens Global Trade Opportunities for African Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME)

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1 hour ago

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September 3, 2026

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DHL

By combining DHL’s logistics expertise with Absa Group’s extensive banking, digital and financial capabilities, the partnership will equip SMEs with practical tools, training and access to services that support cross-border trade, e-commerce growth and sustainable business development

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, September 2, 2026/APO Group/ –DHL and Absa Group have officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to expand DHL’s GoTrade programme across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), formalising a strategic partnership that paves the way for the rollout of the DHL GoTrade programme across key markets in SSA.
 




 

By combining DHL’s logistics expertise with Absa Group’s extensive banking, digital and financial capabilities, the partnership will equip SMEs with practical tools, training and access to services that support cross-border trade, e-commerce growth and sustainable business development.

Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Zuko Godlimpi said the partnership will help SMMEs address the critical constraints to regional growth.

“This partnership brings together the finance, logistics, market knowledge and public support that SMMEs need to trade beyond our borders. By building the capacity of South African enterprises to enter African markets, we are not only growing individual businesses – we are strengthening intra-African trade, creating jobs and using the African market to power South Africa’s economic growth.”
the Deputy Minister said.

Every successful business starts with someone brave enough to dream bigger

The agreement was signed by Hennie Heymans, CEO of DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa, and Faisal Mkhize, Managing Executive for Business Development, Business Banking Pan-Africa at Absa Group.

“Every successful business starts with someone brave enough to dream bigger. Across Africa, there are thousands of entrepreneurs with incredible ideas, determination and ambition, but many still face stumbling blocks when it comes to trading globally.” said Hennie Heymans.

“By partnering with Absa Group, we are creating a powerful ecosystem that combines logistics excellence with financial expertise, ensuring that SMEs across the continent to grow sustainably. To be clear, this is really about helping African SMEs turn big ambitions into real opportunities. Whether it’s understanding how to export for the first time, finding the right financial support, reaching new customers online, or expanding into international markets,” he added.

Approximately 1,600 SMEs have been trained in Uganda, one of the earliest markets to implement the programme, with more entrepreneurs also benefitting from Kenya, Botswana and Zambia. Mozambique and Tanzania are next in line for rollout.

“SMEs are at the heart of Africa’s economic future. They create jobs and strengthen communities.  Our partnership with DHL Express is about giving business owners practical support, and access to trade solutions that can help them move beyond their local markets and realise their growth ambitions,” said Absa Group’s Mkhize.

As the SME sector across SSA continues to play a critical role in driving economic growth, innovation and job creation, the partnership between DHL and Absa Group is a commitment to helping entrepreneurs overcome barriers to trade and unlock new opportunities beyond their borders. Together, the two organisations aim to equip more businesses with the knowledge, networks and support they need to grow sustainably, compete globally and contribute to Africa’s economic growth.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of DHL Express SSA.

 

 




 

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TotalEnergies, ExxonMobil to Open Procurement Doors for Angolan Companies at Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) 2026

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1 hour ago

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September 3, 2026

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Etu Energias

Two of Angola’s largest operators will host dedicated procurement workshops on September 8, giving Angolan companies direct insight into supplier requirements and contracting opportunities across major upstream projects

LUANDA, Angola, September 2, 2026/APO Group/ –Energy majors TotalEnergies and ExxonMobil will host dedicated procurement workshops during the pre-conference program of Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) 2026 on September 8, connecting Angolan companies directly with two of the country’s biggest international operators.
 




 

Led by Patricia Campos, Head of Procurement and Contracts Division at TotalEnergies, and Adão Costa, Procurement Manager at ExxonMobil, the respective sessions will offer practical insight into how local companies can position themselves to secure contracts across Angola’s expanding upstream industry. Taking place ahead of the main conference – scheduled for September 9-10 -, the workshops strengthen AOG 2026’s role as a platform for translating investment into tangible opportunities for Angolan businesses.

TotalEnergies’ workshop comes as the operator advances a multi-billion-dollar offshore portfolio. The company is developing the Kaminho project in Block 20/11 alongside Sonangol and Petronas – the first large-scale deepwater development in the Kwanza Basin. Sanctioned in 2024, Kaminho will feature a zero-flaring FPSO with capacity of 70,000 barrels per day, with first oil targeted for 2028.

The company has also extended licenses for strategic producing assets, including Block 32, creating a framework for further development across six discoveries surrounding the Kaombo Norte and Kaombo Sul FPSOs. Through its role in the New Gas Consortium (NGC), TotalEnergies is at the forefront of Angola’s non-associated gas development. The NGC achieved first gas production from the Quiluma field in 2026, paving the way for a diversified energy mix in Angola. Campos’ workshop will provide a direct interface between those suppliers and the procurement processes governing TotalEnergies’ activities.

Meanwhile, ExxonMobil is pursuing a dual-track strategy combining redevelopment of mature producing assets with frontier exploration. In April 2026, the company awarded an EPCI contract to Subsea7 for its Likembe Redevelopment 2.0 Project, which will connect additional reservoirs to existing Block 15 facilities through subsea tiebacks. ExxonMobil and its partners have also moved to extend production from the Mondo and Saxi-Batuque fields following the extension of Block 15’s production license through 2037.

Beyond Block 15, ExxonMobil is expanding its exploration footprint. The company partnered with TotalEnergies and Angola’s National Agency for Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels to secure exploration rights across multiple blocks in the frontier Benguela and Namibe Basins, while subsurface evaluation continues across additional offshore acreage. Costa’s workshop will share insight into how Angolan companies can position themselves at the forefront of these developments.

By placing procurement managers directly in front of Angolan businesses, AOG 2026 will give domestic suppliers greater clarity on what major operators need, how procurement decisions are made and where opportunities are emerging. As billions of dollars move into Angola’s upstream sector, the September 8 sessions will help ensure more Angolan companies are equipped to move with them.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

 




 

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