On International Girls in ICT Day, two Ugandan students, Victoria Komukyeya and Patience Akongo, shared how the African Girls Can Code Initiative (AGCCI) is transforming their lives by equipping young women with essential digital skills and confidence to enter the technology sector. Supported by UN Women in partnership with the African Union Commission and the International Telecommunication Union, the programme has trained hundreds of girls across Africa, helping them gain skills in coding, web design, robotics, and digital problem-solving.
For many participants like Komukyeya, access to AGCCI has been a turning point after struggling with limited, irregular, or expensive learning opportunities. She described the programme as free, practical, and inspiring, highlighting how it helped her understand that coding becomes achievable with time, passion, and purpose. Akongo echoed this sentiment, noting that the experience strengthened her belief in her abilities and introduced her to new technologies like app and website development through hands-on training.
Despite growing participation, the girls highlighted the ongoing gender gap in the tech industry, where women remain underrepresented and often face bias, exclusion from leadership roles, and even digital abuse such as harassment and online stalking. They emphasized that closing this gap is essential, especially as women currently make up only about one-third of the global ICT workforce.
Through AGCCI, participants not only gain technical knowledge but also work on real-world challenges. Akongo and her peers developed an informational website to address youth drug abuse, while Komukyeya expressed her ambition to create technological solutions for environmental issues such as carbon capture. Both students stressed the importance of challenging stereotypes that limit girls’ participation in science and technology.
Their experiences reflect a broader message of the initiative: when girls are given equal access to digital education and opportunities, they can innovate, lead, and shape the future of technology while helping to build more inclusive and equitable digital spaces.
