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Press Release15 September 2022Siemens AGMunich
Siemens and UN Women to train young African women in ICT, coding and further digital literacy skills
In addition,
the company will provide laptops with a total value of over €280,000 to all participants.
Five UN Women Country Offices in partnership with relevant government
sector ministries and other key stakeholders including Civil Society
Organizations and the private sector will coordinate the implementation of the
project.
Elke Ferner,
chair of UN Women Germany, said: “It’s great that, together with Siemens, we’re
breaking new ground when it comes to education for young women in Africa and that
this technology company is doing pioneering work here. Collaborative projects
like this one are essential for enabling young African women to develop future-oriented
competencies in a protected environment. At both the national and international
levels, taking a stand for women’s rights and for educational equality is a
societal duty for all of us.”
“I’m
particularly pleased that we’ll be supporting this important UN Women
initiative with our knowhow. Here, we’re making a difference by contributing
the expertise Siemens has in the areas of IT, cybersecurity and tailored
training materials as well as our local know-how through our regional company
in South Africa,” explained Judith Wiese, Chief People and Sustainability
Officer and member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG. “By doing this, we want
to give young women in Africa a chance to enter a future-oriented job market
while offering them a path to financial independence.”
IT and cybersecurity
experts from Siemens will provide technical assistance to implementation of the
project activities in the different countries. In addition to the two-week
training sessions, Siemens proposes to provide four- to six-month programs for
advanced training in low-code programming.
Sabine Dall’Omo, CEO of Siemens in Southern and Eastern Africa, commented:
“The African
continent offers enormous potential. I’m very pleased, that we’re teaming up
with UN Women to undertake concerted and systematic action to create
opportunities for development, in particular for girls and young women, and to
thus actively address the disadvantages they face.”
The African Girls Can Code Initiative (AGCCI) that UN Women called to life in
2018 is a four-year program that aims to train girls and young women between 17
and 25 years of age to become computer programmers, developers and designers and
to empower them to begin university studies and a career in the ICT sector.
Through the
roll out of the second phase of the initiative that commenced in January 2022, UN Women
is driving this initiative in partnership with the African Union Commission and
the International Telecommunication Union with support from the Government of
Belgium and Siemens AG targeting 10 countries. Under AGCCI, partnerships
with local stakeholders such as NGOs, ICT research and academic institutions aim
to sustain opportunities to digital trainings and access to digital platforms to
accelerate young women’s employability and contribution to Africa’s development
across sectors.
The
initiative further strengthens the building of a strong personal network in which
the young women motivate and support each other and possibly implement joint
entrepreneurial ventures. It also supports
the development and roll out of an online platform to facilitate mentorship,
training, job opportunities, and the promotion of innovative programmes
developed by beneficiaries.
“I’m very
proud to be able to support this initiative and drive its development – in
particular in light of my dual responsibilities for cybersecurity and diversity,”
said Natalia Oropeza, Chief Cybersecurity Officer and Chief Diversity,
Inclusion and Equity Officer at Siemens AG. “My responsibilities bring together
many topics that are of enormous importance today: technology, IT, cybersecurity,
education and diversity. Supporting young women in obtaining an adequate education
and in advancing their personal development is a decisive factor for a
sustainable future – and that’s not only the case in Africa, but also worldwide.”
Awa
Ndiaye-Seck, UN Women Special Representative to AU and UNECA, noted: “As UN
Women, we recognize that AGCCI is catalytic and not a panacea to bridge the
gender gap in digitization. If we have to scale up this and similar
initiatives, we urgently need to forge and nurture multi-sectoral and multi-level
partnerships that aim to address not only the policy level bottlenecks related
to access to technology and finances but also the gender based harmful norms
and practices that hinder women and girls from pursuing STEM fields.”
Hanna
Hennig, Chief Information Officer of Siemens AG, added: “According to UNESCO, women
and girls are 25 percent less likely than men to know how to use digital
technologies for basic purposes. Enabling women to gain extensive access to
technology is a matter of equal rights. We’ve already had very positive
experiences with our coding camps in Germany and other countries. I’m very
enthusiastic about the plans for joining forces with UN Women to enable young
women in Africa to acquire such vital knowledge. This partnership has the
potential to develop transformative impact.”
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About UN Women Germany e.V.
UN Women Nationales Komitee Germany e.V. is a non-profit association and one of 12 national committees worldwide that support the work of “UN Women” on gender equality and the empowerment of women through public relations and fundraising at country level. www.unwomen.de
UN Women Nationales Komitee Germany e.V. is a non-profit association and one of 12 national committees worldwide that support the work of “UN Women” on gender equality and the empowerment of women through public relations and fundraising at country level. www.unwomen.de
Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a technology company focused on industry, infrastructure, transport, and healthcare. From more resource-efficient factories, resilient supply chains, and smarter buildings and grids, to cleaner and more comfortable transportation as well as advanced healthcare, the company creates technology with purpose adding real value for customers. By combining the real and the digital worlds, Siemens empowers its customers to transform their industries and markets, helping them to transform the everyday for billions of people. Siemens also owns a majority stake in the publicly listed company Siemens Healthineers, a globally leading medical technology provider shaping the future of healthcare. In addition, Siemens holds a minority stake in Siemens Energy, a global leader in the transmission and generation of electrical power.
In fiscal 2021, which ended on September 30, 2021, the Siemens Group generated revenue of €62.3 billion and net income of €6.7 billion. As of September 30, 2021, the company had around 303,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com.
In fiscal 2021, which ended on September 30, 2021, the Siemens Group generated revenue of €62.3 billion and net income of €6.7 billion. As of September 30, 2021, the company had around 303,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com.