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Ruth Butaumocho-African Agenda

A group of women were huddled under a Mutsamvi tree at Nzvimbo Growth Point in Chiweshe, while listening to a lanky young man, reading a message from his mobile phone.

From a distance, it was difficult to hear what the message was all about. 

What was however distinct and noticeable was the beaming faces of the women, as they listened attentively.

Rapturous and resounding clapping signalled the end of the message. Not even the weariness they had endured after walking for nearly 10 kilometres to the venue from as far as Rwanga, Chinhema, Chiunda and Kanyemba villages, could dissipate the energy they felt after being informed of the impending solar project earmarked for their area.

The developmental news had re-invigorated the women.

The group could barely contain their joy as they sang and danced to the good news, while the young man watched in amazement how such a small message that had been delivered to his phone could bring so much joy and reinvigoration to the women- many who were as old as his grandmother.

As he walked back to the school-domiciled at the growth point- a few kilometres away from where the women were assembled, he could not help but marvel at the power of digital platforms.

“More women should have access to the internet. I have never seen so much happiness in my life,” the words gushed out as he walked into the headmaster’s office, to debrief him.

Sadly, the paradox of life is that: the people who are most likely to benefit from the benefits of digital products are least likely to have access to them. This is especially true for women, who are being disproportionately affected by the digital divide, leaving them well behind.

The internet is one of the most empowering technologies the world has ever seen. However, women continue to trail behind accessing it and its products, further perpetuating inequality and gender divide.

This digital exclusion is already being felt in several African countries, where women trail behind in internet usage. As a result, they have been overshadowed in the digital economy.

According to a report from the World Economic Forum, globally, women are 21 percent less likely to be online compared to men. In developing countries 50 percent of women do not have access to internet or digital products.

This digital exclusion does more than prevent women from accessing a number of opportunities, which include access to developmental opportunities, training, information on markets, internet banking as well as online education.

Lack of access to digital products prevents them from fully participating in the digital economy — and it is costing the world billions of dollars in GDP each year, considering the role they play in informal and formal sectors because of their numerical significance.

It remains a fact that over the years, women have been contributing immensely in trade and general economic activities globally, either as part of the labour force or entrepreneurs’ mainly in the informal sector. Because of the robust roles they play in trade, one day they are workers, entrepreneurs, service providers and the next minute they are consumers of traded goods, whether informal or formal.

Apart from working in less paying jobs, trade, mostly informal, is one area which has proved that it can bring an absolute income gain to women in most African countries and beyond.

This probably explains why there is a huge turnout of women involved in movement of goods across borders as well as inter-trading, making them an important constituency.

At continental level, small to medium enterprises that are run by women account for close to 60 per cent of Africa’s gross domestic product, creating about 450 million jobs. 

By any margin, these are huge figures which need to be sustained, and could actually increase if women get the necessary support at country and continental level, through enabling them to do business with ease.

The internet does exactly that. However, women’s economic role risk being annihilated if they are left out in digitalisation, where most economic activities have since migrated to, especially following the advent of Covid-19.

Failure by women to be actively involved in digitalisation will result in immense lost opportunities, which otherwise would have improved their lives and of that of their families.

It will be practically impossible for the majority of women who are not on internet to access an array of business and trade opportunities from such trade platforms as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), because it thrives mainly on e-commerce.

Ordinarily, apart from improving trade within the African countries, the trade platform was also created with women and youth in mind, having seen the challenges they were facing when engaging in cross border trade and other informal business activities.

It is because of the robust role of women and youth in the economic matrix of Africa that, the AfCFTA held an inaugural conference to discuss how women and youth in trade as drivers of intra-African trade can be positioned at the centre of the economic benefits of the project.

What came out clear at the conference held in Tanzania last year in September was the importance of harnessing the potential of women- and youth-led businesses in creating and participating in regional and continental value chains. 

During the conference, representatives of AfCFTA implored member countries to provide concrete actions that can build the capacity of women and youth to meaningfully participate in the economy, through such trade platforms.

It is sad and unfortunate that the very same women that AfCFTA is relying on will probably not access these opportunities because they lack “connectivity”.

If they are lucky, they will continue getting information through a third party-such as the lanky young man-who reacted with speed and delivered a special message to a group of women in Chiweshe.

Yet that digital gap or divide would be best solved through availing information kiosks or Wi-Fi hotspots at schools, community and business centres, where internet services are highly subsidised or available for free on certain days for women and youth in rural areas.

Private mobile telecommunications companies, can regularly offer free Wi-Fi or at minimal charges to women and youth clubs through kiosks where they can access the services once a week or any other agreed time.

Availing such services will in the long run enable telecommunications companies to grow products for a specific market. Currently the data packages and phones that can access the internet on the market are away above the reach for many.

Of course, not every woman is still as disadvantaged as that group, but some women- in equal measure, have since migrated to digital platforms with ease over the years.

They now have access to internet: have good gadgets, access to data and are therefore able to glean through an avalanche of trade and economic opportunities at the click of a button.

However, the numbers remain conservative and mainly conformed to urban areas.

Despite access to digital platforms, it has also not been a good story for some women, who have been at the receiving end of trolling and all forms of cyber bullying.

However, it is heartening that several countries among them Zimbabwe, has since come up with legislations to prohibit cyber bullying and all other digital violations through the enactment of laws that criminalises such acts.

In Zimbabwe the Cyber and Data Protection Act which became law in December 2021 criminalises all forms of cyberbullying and harassment.

As African member countries strengthen their information communication they should ensure that the majority of women have access to the internet and other digital platforms so that they can actively participate in social, political and economic issues.

Full participation in the digital world is important not only for individual rights and empowerment, but also as a driver of economic growth and prosperity.

By closing the digital divide and ensure the inclusion of women, this will bolster economic growth. 

Economies that include women are stronger, and inclusive digital development will be critical as countries look to bounce back from the Covid-19 crisis.

The African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy speaks to the digital inclusion for every African by 2030.

That goal will be achieved once member countries make concerted efforts to remove the barriers for African women and girls that hinder their participation in the digital economy, while creating an enabling environment for technology-oriented entrepreneurship.

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