GIRLS IN ICT DAY 2025

Photo by Francis Odeyemi on Unsplash

Reflecting on the digital revolution so far, it’s clear that technological transformation is not automatically inclusive. In the early days of public internet access, for example, many telecenters and cyber cafés were dominated by boys and men, creating an intimidating “boys’ locker room” atmosphere that kept girls away. This imbalance taught us a vital lesson: digital transformation is not gender-neutral – without intentional inclusion, girls and women get left behind. Even today, women remain underrepresented in many ICT fields (for instance, only about 25% of the global cybersecurity workforce is female, with figures in Africa even lower​.  Ensuring that girls share equal space in the digital realm is not just a matter of justice, but of innovation and progress for all.

How do we make digital transformation inclusive?

Inclusive digital transformation means actively involving young women at every level as users, creators, and leaders of technology. It means creating environments where girls feel welcome to explore, learn, and shape digital tools. Over the years, we have seen how structural biases and narrow gender stereotypes, starting from early education, have pressured girls to shy away from tech. The absence of visible female role models and mentors has reinforced a “chilly climate” in tech, discouraging many from entering or remaining in ICT careers​.  When girls can fully participate and help lead digital innovation, they become not just beneficiaries of technology but shapers of it, designing solutions that work better for everyone.

Digital sisterhoods critical for women's success

One  way to foster this inclusion is through inclusive networks and collaboration; what we might call digital sisterhoods. Across the globe, women in tech are coming together in communities that uplift and protect one another. These networks provide mentorship, peer learning, and a safe space to share experiences. The GeJuSTA project’s research on gender justice in STEM research in Africa, highlights that such support systems are often critical to women’s success in male-dominated fields​. Initiatives like the African Girls Can Code Initiative and the Network of African Women in Cybersecurity (NAWC) show how intentional community-building can empower women through mentorship, capacity-building, and advocacy​. In these “digital sisterhoods,” girls and women find allies, gain confidence, and develop skills together. They illustrate how collaboration and collective action can challenge the systemic barriers that individual women would struggle to overcome alone. 

Promoting safe online practices

These digital sisterhoods are also playing a key role in promoting cyber hygiene and safe online practices. According to findings from GeJuSTA research, women often bear the responsibility for educating their families about digital safety, yet they themselves may lack the resources and training to keep up with evolving cyber threats​. Through supportive networks, women and girls can share knowledge on everything from strong passwords to handling online harassment. Such peer education is crucial: when women are better equipped with cyber hygiene skills, not only are they safer online, but they also pass on that safety to their communities. In effect, empowering women in digital safety creates a ripple effect of more secure digital citizens. It’s telling that women’s participation in fields like cybersecurity has ripple effects, empowering entire communities to adopt safer digital practices​. In other words, when women gain cybersecurity expertise and confidence, they become champions of cyber safety for their families, workplaces, and networks – multiplying the impact of inclusive transformation.

“We need to move beyond mentorship. Women need seats at the decision-making table... Now a lot more women are being seen and heard... They are growing their circles and have other women and even other men in their support group helping them spread the good things they’re doing.”​

This insight from a woman cybersecurity professional in the GeJuSTA study captures the heart of the issue. Inclusive digital transformation isn’t just about entry-level opportunities or training programs – it’s about voice, visibility, and leadership. We must ensure women are not only joining the digital arena but are staying and advancing in it. That means tackling harassment and biases that push women out, and creating pathways to leadership so women remain visible at the top. It also means recognising the value of those support groups these sisterhoods and also male allies in helping women thrive. As the quote suggests, women are increasingly making themselves heard and expanding their circles; now society and institutions need to make sure they have a firm seat at the table.

Working together is key

Encouragingly, the broader findings of the GeJuSTA research reinforce a call for more coordinated support systems, research-informed action, and shared digital care infrastructures to sustain this momentum. What does this look like in practice? It starts with stakeholders working together; schools, employers, policymakers, community organisations, and tech platforms all have a role in building an ecosystem that supports women and girls in ICT. We need policy and infrastructure changes as much as personal mentorship. For example, creating codes of conduct and robust reporting mechanisms can make online and workplace environments safer for women, so that they are protected from abuse and can focus on their contributions. It has been observed that when the tech world is designed only by and for men, it tends to overlook issues like online harassment or privacy breaches that disproportionately affect women​.

The digital future is a shared responsibility

Girls in ICT for Inclusive Digital Transformation is more than a theme it is a rallying cry to re-imagine the digital future as one where nobody is left behind. As we celebrate Girls in ICT Day 2025, we recognise that progress is a shared responsibility. Let us continue to nurture these digital sisterhoods and expand them, knowing that when women support women, incredible things happen. Let’s also bring men and institutions into the coalition, because inclusive transformation needs all hands on deck. By coordinating our efforts sharing knowledge, pooling resources, and standing up for each other we can build a digital world where women are protected, visible, and empowered to stay and lead.