African Women, Technology and ICTs

Abstract

Technology has much to offer women in their public and private lives. In view of this, the Strategic Development Goal (SDG) 5b seeks to utilize enabling technology, particularly information and communications technology, to empower women. Through a desk review, this chapter looked at the position of African women in the development, deployment, and utilization of technology in the broad sense with a special focus on information and communication technology. Factors that inhibit women’s full utilization of technology and some policy directives have also been enumerated in the chapter. Various interventions in the area of women and technologies have yielded results. African women are not only users of technology but also breaking through as developers in the technology space. Despite infrastructural and socio-economic challenges, women in Africa are capable of harnessing the full potential of technology to improve their lives. They should therefore be perceived as such and be supported accordingly.