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

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3 years ago

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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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20th Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Global Forum on Islamic Finance to Convene in Azerbaijan

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1 day ago

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June 12, 2026

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IsDBI

Marking its 20th edition, the forum serves as a flagship platform for high-level dialogue, convening policymakers, regulators, development practitioners, academics, and industry leaders to advance innovation and development in Islamic finance

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, June 11, 2026/APO Group/ —

The Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI) (https://IsDBInstitute.org/) will host the 20th IsDB Global Forum on Islamic Finance in Baku, Azerbaijan on 17 June 2026 under the theme “Achieving Sustainable Prosperity through Islamic Finance,” in conjunction with the IsDB Group Annual Meetings.

 

Marking its 20th edition, the forum serves as a flagship platform for high-level dialogue, convening policymakers, regulators, development practitioners, academics, and industry leaders to advance innovation and development in Islamic finance. This year’s forum will focus on strengthening regional integration and unlocking sustainable growth across IsDB member countries through Islamic finance solutions.

The forum will examine how Islamic finance can help address structural development challenges, including “development traps” that constrain inclusive growth and resilience. It will also highlight innovative Islamic social finance mechanisms, particularly Awqaf Free Zones, as tools for mobilizing sustainable resources to support food and energy security.

Key highlights of the forum include keynote speeches, launch of a new report on the prospects of Islamic Finance in Azerbaijan alongside other flagship publications, announcement of a memorandum of understanding between IsDBI and Labuan Financial Services Authority, distinguished panel discussion sessions, and unveiling of top achievers in the Applied AI in Islamic Finance Competency Challenge.

H.E. Taleh Kazimov, Governor of the Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan, will deliver the first keynote speech, followed by Eng. Adeeb Yousuf Al Aama, Chief Executive Officer of ITFC, whose speech will be on behalf of the IsDB Group. Dr. Sami Al-Suwailem, Acting Director General of IsDBI, will deliver the welcome remarks.

The first panel session will explore how Islamic finance can help countries overcome development barriers and achieve sustainable economic transformation. The panelists include Mr. Shahin Aydin Mahmudzade, Executive Director, Central Bank of Azerbaijan; Mr. Adnan Zaylani, Deputy Governor, Bank Negara Malaysia; Ms. Mihoko Kumamoto, Director, Division for Prosperity, UNITAR; Dr. Bambang Brodjonegoro, Dean, Asian Development Bank Institute; and Dr. Areef Suleman, Chief Economist, IsDB Group. The session will be moderated by Mr. Mustafa Adil, Head of Islamic Finance, London Stock Exchange Group.

The second panel session will examine innovative approaches to mobilizing Islamic social finance, particularly through Awqaf Free Zones, to address global food and energy challenges. The speakers include Mr. Valeh Alasgarov, Chairman of the Board, AFEZ Authority, Azerbaijan; Dr. Mansur Muhtar, Chairman of the Board, Bank of Industry, Nigeria; Professor Emeritus Dato’ Dr. Azmi Omar, President & CEO, INCEIF University; and Mr. Orkhan Vidadi oglu Mammadov, Chairman, Small and Medium Business Development Agency of Azerbaijan (KOBİA). The session will be moderated by Mr. Yahya Rehman, Associate Manager, IsDBI.

The forum is expected to generate actionable recommendations, strengthen partnerships, promote stakeholder collaboration, and advance innovative, AI-enabled tools to support the growth of Islamic finance globally.

More information about the forum is available on IsDBI website here.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI).

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PROÁGUA Receives TXF Water Export Finance Deal of the Year 2025 Award

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June 12, 2026

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PROÁGUA

Landmark €200 Million Financing for Angola’s National Water Infrastructure Program Recognized for Excellence in Export and Agency Finance

FRAUENFELD, Switzerland, June 11, 2026/APO Group/ –Mitrelli (https://Mitrelli.com), together with HSBC, Deutsche Bank, Bpifrance Assurance Export, SERV, and SUEZ, has been recognized with the TXF Water Export Finance Deal of the Year 2025 award for the complex financing structure supporting Angola’s PROÁGUA national water infrastructure program, developed in partnership with the Ministry of Finance of Angola. The award is one of the export and project finance industry’s most prestigious distinctions, recognizing excellence and innovation in structuring complex infrastructure financing solutions.

 

The award was presented at the annual TXF Global Export, Agency & Project Finance event on June 10, in Prague, Czech Republic, one of the leading gatherings of the global export and project finance community.

The award-winning €200 million financing structure reflects the close collaboration between Mitrelli and leading financial and industrial partners of HSBC, Deutsche Bank, Bpifrance, SERV, SUEZ, combining export credit support and commercial financing into a complex, innovative financing solution for critical water infrastructure at scale in Angola.

 We are proud to see PROÁGUA recognized by the global export finance community and to have worked alongside world-class partners

PROÁGUA is a national-scale water infrastructure program designed to expand access to clean and reliable water across Angola, supporting the country’s long-term development priorities and improving quality of life for millions of citizens.

Rodrigo Manso, CEO of Mitrelli, said: ” We are proud to see PROÁGUA recognized by the global export finance community and to have worked alongside world-class partners – HSBC, Deutsche Bank, Bpifrance Assurance Export, SERV, and SUEZ – and the Government of Angola. This award recognizes the sophisticated financing structure behind the project and demonstrates how collaboration across public and private sector stakeholders can unlock critical infrastructure at scale.”

Tzahi Malach, VP Structured Finance at Mitrelli, said: “This award reflects the depth of collaboration required to structure financing for national-scale infrastructure. PROÁGUA demonstrates how export credit support, commercial financing and strong partnerships can come together to deliver bankable solutions for projects with significant development impact.”

For Mitrelli, the recognition highlights the growing importance of financing as a catalyst for development. As countries pursue ambitious infrastructure agendas, innovative financing solutions are increasingly essential to aligning government priorities, development objectives, and commercial realities. PROÁGUA demonstrates how complex structured finance can transform national priorities into implementable projects with lasting social and economic impact.

Mitrelli extends its appreciation to the Government of Angola for its continued trust, and to all partners involved in advancing this landmark transaction.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Mitrelli Group.

 

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Africa’s Business Heroes Unveils 2026 Top 100 Entrepreneurs Selected from Over 24,000 Applications Across Africa

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2 days ago

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June 11, 2026

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Africa’s Business Heroes

Expanded cohort reflects the scale, diversity, maturity, and economic impact of African entrepreneurship

KIGALI, Rwanda, June 11, 2026/APO Group/ –Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) (www.AfricaBusinessHeroes.org), the flagship philanthropic initiative of the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Philanthropy, has unveiled its 2026 Top 100 entrepreneurs, selected from more than 24,000 applications from all 54 African countries.

Download Infographic: https://apo-opa.co/4v3n7w5

For the first time in ABH’s history, the competition has expanded its first round of finalists from a Top 50 to a Top 100 cohort, creating more visibility and opportunity for entrepreneurs across regions, sectors, and business models. The expansion reflects the growing depth, competitiveness, and commercial maturity of African entrepreneurship as ABH approaches its 10-year milestone.

The 2026 Top 100 represents 27 countries, with an average founder age of 38 and an average business age of 6.5 years. Half of the cohort are returning applicants, underscoring the continued value entrepreneurs see in the ABH platform and the strength of its pan-African community.

This year’s applications came from every region of the continent. Women represented the highest share of entries since the competition launched in 2019 and there was also increased participation from emerging startup hubs such Angola, Burkina Faso, Chad, Libya, Madagascar, and Mozambique. ABH is grateful to the hard-working Round 1 judges who selected the Top 100 from more than 24,000 applicants, with strong representation from key sectors like AI, agriculture, fintech, health, and climate.

A Snapshot of Africa’s Entrepreneurial Momentum

The 2026 Top 100 cohort offers a strong picture of the diversity, resilience, and economic contribution of African entrepreneurs. Collectively, the Top 100 businesses generated USD 170 million in 2025 revenue, employed 6,200 people, and served 10 million customers. These figures underscore the role entrepreneurs are playing not only in building commercially viable companies, but also in creating jobs, widening access to essential products and services, and advancing inclusive growth across Africa.

The 2026 cohort tells an important story: African entrepreneurship is becoming broader, deeper, and more commercially mature

Top 100: By the Numbers

  • Operating Countries Represented: 27
  • Average founder age: 38
  • Average years in business: 6.5
  • Gender representation: 33% women founders; 67% men founders
  • Francophone/French-language representation: 13%
  • Returning applicants: 50%
  • Top operating countries: Egypt, Nigeria, and Kenya (15 entrepreneurs each), followed by Rwanda (9) and South Africa (6)
  • Leading sectors: Agriculture (21), Financial Services (12), Manufacturing (10), Healthcare (10), and Energy (9)

Key Sector Trends Driving the Cohort

The businesses represented address some of the continent’s most pressing challenges through scalable, regional solutions. The cohort also points to important shifts in the continent’s entrepreneurial landscape. Key trends include:

  • Agri-Tech Dominance: Comprising 21% of the cohort, agriculture has evolved beyond traditional farming into tech-enabled, value-added models.
  • Tech-Driven Financial Inclusion: As the second-largest sector (12%), Financial Services is leveraging machine learning and alternative data to provide paperless credit scoring for unbanked small businesses, resolving core frictions across markets
  • Recycling & Environmental Protection: 7% of the ABH Top 100 operate in this space, shifting toward high-margin circular economy models that combine profitability with social impact through value-added processing and emerging ESG/carbon credit monetization.
  • Decentralized Manufacturing Growth: Manufacturing accounts for 10% of the cohort and spans 9 diverse countries (including Cabo Verde, Namibia, and Ethiopia). This geographic spread indicates industrialization is accelerating beyond major economies, propelled by AfCFTA incentives, import substitution, and rising local demand.
  • AI as a Tool for Practical, Sector-Specific Innovation: 32 of the Top 100 entrepreneurs are integrating AI across 12 African countries to address concrete market challenges: improving low agricultural productivity through predictive crop and soil insights, expanding access to credit through alternative scoring, closing education gaps through personalized learning, easing healthcare shortages through triage and decision-support tools, and reducing logistics inefficiencies and supply chain waste through smarter routing and demand matching.

The full list of the ABH 2026 Top 100 entrepreneurs can be found here (www.AfricaBusinessHeroes.org).

Speaking on the significance of this year’s Top 100 cohort, Zahra Baitie-Boateng, Managing Director, Africa at ABH, said:

“The expansion from the Top 50 to the Top 100 reflects the extraordinary evolution of entrepreneurship across Africa. The 2026 cohort tells an important story: African entrepreneurship is becoming broader, deeper, and more commercially mature. These are not just promising ideas; they are real businesses operating across 27 countries, generating USD 170 million in annual revenue, employing 6,200 people, and serving 10 million customers. We are seeing strong innovation from established hubs as well as from emerging ecosystems that have often been underrepresented. By expanding the cohort, ABH is creating more opportunities for entrepreneurs to access visibility, recognition, community, and long-term support.”

Commenting on this year’s selection process, an ABH Round 1 Judge: Johan de Visser, Regional Manager, Africa at PUM & Founder of Africa Business Coaching, said:

“The quality of applications this year was exceptionally strong. What stood out was the level of innovation, clarity of vision, and deep understanding of local market challenges from founders across the continent. The Top 100 includes businesses that are already serving customers, creating jobs, and building scalable solutions across critical sectors, from agriculture and financial services to healthcare, manufacturing, energy, and climate. Expanding the cohort allows ABH to spotlight more of the entrepreneurs shaping Africa’s next phase of growth.”

Now in its 8th year, the ABH Prize Competition celebrates visionary leaders driving inclusive and sustainable growth across the continent. Since 2019, ABH has grown into one of Africa’s leading entrepreneurship platforms, directly awarding 70 entrepreneurs with funding, mentorship, global exposure, and ecosystem-building opportunities. ABH has also supported more than 5,000 entrepreneurs through programs including ABH ScaleUp and attracted more than 160,000 applicants to date.

The Top 100 will now advance to the next stage, where judges will evaluate the cohort to determine the Top 20 semi-finalists. The Top 20 will pitch live on August 21-22 in Nairobi, Kenya, competing for a place in the ABH Top 10 and a share of the USD 1.5 million grant prize.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH).

 

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