Nonprofit organisation (NPO) GirlCode, which aims to empower women in the technology sector, on Thursday revealed its new programmes for 2018, as well as its Vision 2030 ambitions, which includes reaching ten-million women by 2030.
GirlCode chairperson Zandile Keebine commented that reaching that goal would make the NPO the largest women-oriented digital agency in the world.
GirlCode has plans to reach as many as 100 000 women in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape in 2018, with a focus on the economic hubs of those three provinces – Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town, respectively.
By 2025, GirlCode aims to reach one-million women in South Africa, expanding its reach to five-million women in five countries by 2025.
The ultimate goal is to reach ten-million women by 2030 and cement the organisation’s place in the history books as the largest, most influential digital agency in empowering women and bridging the gap in the technology industry that is currently dominated by men.
She said skills training is a key element for the labour market to function correctly and to create employment. “It is also an essential factor to increase competitiveness in the quality of services and goods.”
In developing and implementing its Vision 2030 strategy, she pointed out that GirlCode plans to forge strategic partnerships with the public sector, such as the departments of Telecommunications and Postal Services, Basic Education and Higher Education and Training, as well as strengthen its collaboration effort with similar organisations.
GirlCode also plans to leverage off corporate investments in the development of information and communication technology facilities and related infrastructure in networks within schools and disadvantaged communities, noted Keebine.