Next month marks the celebration of Women’s Month in South Africa and with it usually comes an array of announcements from the private sector regarding initiatives aimed at uplifting women in the workplace.
Doing its part before the month kicks off is MTN, which has announced its inaugural Women in Digital Business Challenge.
The 2022 edition of the Women in Digital Business Challenge will offer 10 less established female-owned SMEs access to finance, mentorship and other business support resources provided by the MTN Foundation.
“Removing the barriers hindering women from entering STEM fields is the answer to South Africa’s enormous ICT skills gap and high unemployment rate,” highlighted Angie Maloka, senior manager for Youth & Women Programmes at the MTN SA Foundation, in a press release sent to Hypertext.
“It’s imperative to fill this inequality gap, and for us, this means making a meaningful contribution to improving female-owned businesses in the ICT market,” she added.
For this initial cohort of SMEs, MTN has provisioned R100 000 for working capital needs, business development, tangible assets, mentorship and business advancing technology or software.
Moreover, MTN says each SME will receive training, small business support and enter a four month long mentorship programme.
The 10 candidates (pictured in the header image), who are either graduates or alumni members of the MTN SA Foundation business support programme, for the Women in Digital Business Challenge are:
Siphokazi Nciza, Nkcubeko Noyila, Johanna Moabelo, Desiderata Mphehlo, Thobeka Nkabinde, Amanda Magwaza, Siyamtanda Hlobo, Masabata Chabeli, Neliswa Phungula and Estelle Olifant.
“The future is increasingly digital, yet women are under-represented in this high-growth sector of the economy. To ensure faster progress, sustainability and job creation, young women need support and encouragement to enter the sector, while women already in the sector need strong mentors to inspire them, guide them and push them to bring their ideas to life,” concludes Maloka.
