Advertorial: MTN SA Foundation empowers women in digital business

MTN SA Foundation

empowers women in digital business

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.

Although women make up 13% of the graduates leaving SA tertiary institutions with qualifications in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), there is a lack career guidance post-graduation, which is a significant challenge for women pursuing ICT-related careers or entrepreneurship opportunities.

As a consequence, only 23% of tech jobs are held by women in South Africa. Out of 236 000 ICT & Tech

roles, women occupy 56 000 of them. This imbalance highlights to need for the industry to help create an enabling environment for women to close the gender representation gap. R1 million commitment to support female owned SMMEs

Realising that empowerment means not only raising the status of women through education, awareness, literacy and training, but also being open to women’s concepts for services and product provision, the MTN South Africa (SA) Foundation has launched its inaugural 2022 MTN Women in Digital Business Challenge to assist female owned SMME’s on a sure path to success.

With a R1 million commitment, MTN will support 10 less established female-owned small, medium-sized and

microenterprises (SMMEs) by enabling innovation, entrepreneurship, and job creation for women in the digital economy.

The MTN Women in Digital Business Challenge forms part of the MTN Group’s commitment to developing ICT SMEs on the continent and is an extension of MTN’s existing SME accelerator programmes. The 10 candidates, who are female graduates and alumni members of the MTN SA Foundation business support programme, will be provided with R100 000 for working capital needs, business development, tangible assets, mentorship coaching and business advancing technology and software. “Removing the barriers hindering women from entering science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields is the answer to South Africa’s enormous information

and communications technology (ICT) skills gap and high unemployment rate,” says Angie Maloka, Senior Manager: Education & Community Programmes at the MTN SA Foundation.

“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.”

Training, business support and mentorship

Each SMME will receive training, small business support and enter a four-month mentorship programme to ensure effective deployment of capital and resources. The aim is to accelerate their business and rate of business success, or the opportunity and tools to create future businesses that are robust, innovative and able to succeed in a challenging and ever-changing landscape.

The finalists of the 2022 MTN Women in Digital Business Challenge programme are prime examples of what can be achieved by women in a competitive industry.

“We can’t wait to see what business ideas and cases

our candidates generate at the end of the four-month programme. Our hope is that the outcomes go far to close the skills shortage gap in SA and create long-term career prospects for our candidates and their future employees.

“We look forward to hearing more about them as they help change the operating face of the business in South Africa,” concludes Maloka.

For more information and other MTN SA Foundation

programmes, visit www.mtn.co.za