Gender equality in NRENs: a foundation for sustainability

African National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) are increasingly making SDG 5 – gender equality – central to their work by adopting policies, developing activities and implementing initiatives to advance women’s empowerment within their workplaces and communities, with a particular focus on ICT (information and communications technology) and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

Equality is a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. Gender equality and female empowerment are not just basic human rights; they are also catalysts for development in all areas. Providing women with equal access to education, healthcare, decent work and representation in political and economic decision-making processes is fundamental for social cohesion and prosperity.

To achieve gender equality in Africa, the National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) have been carrying out women empowerment initiatives with a focus on ICT and STEM.

African women are still a minority in the field of research and science. However, there has been significant progress in the field in comparison to other world regions. Sub-Saharan Africa counts a 33% share of female researchers in all subject areas, while in North Africa, Tunisia is the first country in Africa with a 55% share of female researchers.

Bridging the gender digital divide

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) enable women to play an active role in community development and in turn bridge the so-called gender digital divide. By giving girls and young women ICT education and the confidence to pursue ICT studies and careers and gain access to attractive roles, NRENs and Regional Research and Education Networks (RRENs) are helping women become economically solvent, which is a source of other types of female empowerment.

An example of that is the ICT4GirlsHackathon for young girls run by Eko-Konnect in Nigeria and the Women-in-WACREN programme run by the regional research and education network WACREN which provides courses and workshops in ICT to over 2,000 young women in Western Africa, giving them a career jump-start.

Women leaders

Women are now more than ever making their way into leadership and other technical roles within African NRENs. For example, the national networks in Algeria, Tunisia, Madagascar and Zimbabwe have women at their helms. Likewise, the national networks in Ghana and Benin have employed women in leadership positions within their organisations.

Furthermore, several NRENs and their member institutions have provided equal opportunities to their personnel and students beyond the field of ICT. Through dedicated and focused training and mentorship programmes, they have been addressing existing gender inequalities and worked to improve the opportunities available to women. Examples of this are SANReN in South Africa and the University of Uganda, which have been running gender equality awareness training.

Meanwhile, the University of Rwanda has been running mentorship programmes and training for young girls. Furthermore, through its Centre for Gender Studies, the University of Rwanda supports the government’s gender equality objectives.

By adopting policies and joining initiatives that promote gender equality in the public sector, organisations ensure that scholarships are assigned equally to women and men, female students receive child support if needed and student mentorship is available equally to both genders.

In 2022, Makerere University in Uganda, a member of the Research and Education Network for Uganda, became the first public sector institution in the country to enrol in the United Nations Development Programme’s Gender Equality Seal Initiative, designed to promote accountability for gender equality and women's empowerment in public sector institutions.

Women in STEM

African NRENs are also making efforts in collaboration with the AfricaConnect3 Project to highlight the achievements and successes of their women in STEM by giving them more visibility in a series of online interviews and blogs on International Women’s Day.

Other member institutions are celebrating and recognising the progress and innovations made by women and girls in engineering and technology through organising dedicated events – similar to the Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) in Zimbabwe hosting a Women in Technology event on International Women’s Day.

HIT has also been collaborating with Wikipedia to improve the visibility of women under the Wiki Loves Women initiative. HIT is a member of the Zimbabwe Research and Education Network and gains from this.

Although gender equality and women’s empowerment have advanced in recent decades, there are still many miles to travel. African NRENs are increasingly making gender equality central to their work by adopting policies, developing activities and implementing initiatives to advance women’s empowerment within their workplaces and communities.

Visit the AfricaConnect3 SDGs Info Centre to learn more about how African research and education networks are contributing to the SDGs. This article was first published on the AfricaConnect3 website.