As Women in Tech Africa celebrates 10 years in Mauritius, its leaders and partners call for greater female representation, stronger mentorship networks and a future in which African women are not merely users of technology, but its creators and decision-makers. Ten years ago, the vision was simple: create opportunities for women in technology. A decade later, that vision has grown into a movement centred on visibility, empowerment and the belief that women must have a decisive role in shaping Africa’s digital future.
For Sameera Koyratty, Mauritius Chapter Lead of Women in Tech Africa (WiTA), the journey began with a question that remains relevant today: why, in a country that prides itself on being a high-tech island, were so few women present in the rooms where technology was being built? Reflecting on the chapter’s 10-year journey, Koyratty recalled a modest beginning, with a handful of women, a borrowed projector and a conviction that would guide the movement for years to come. “I had a conviction that talent is evenly distributed across men and women, but opportunity is not,” she said.
That belief became the foundation of a decade-long effort to create opportunities for Mauritian women to learn, connect, lead and build careers in technology. The anniversary was not simply a celebration of how far the organisation had come, but a reminder of the work still needed to ensure that women are represented at every level of the digital economy.
“The mission was never to build a business. The mission was to build women,” Sameera said. Over the years, the chapter has sought to recognise women whose achievements might otherwise have gone unnoticed, while helping students find confidence, professionals advance into leadership and entrepreneurs turn ideas into businesses. For Sameera, the real measure of success lies not merely in the organisation’s growth, but in the women who have grown through it and subsequently opened doors for others. “Ten years ago, I opened one door. Today, there are hundreds of women opening doors across this island,” she said.
From a Mauritian initiative to an African movement
The chapter’s story is also one of collaboration and belief in the power of community.
Marie Noelle Elissac Foy, who helped in bringing Women in Tech Africa to Mauritius in 2016, recalled meeting the organisation’s founder, Ethel Cofie,. The encounter convinced her that the network could provide a valuable bridge between Mauritian women and the wider African technology community. Although she did not come from a technical background, Marie Noelle recognised the importance of building a community in which women could support one another, exchange knowledge and develop professionally.
Nearly 95 people attended the launch, but Marie Noelle recalled that the conversations with those who remained until the end were particularly revealing. Women were asking for mentorship, opportunities to collaborate rather than compete, and the confidence to establish themselves in a rapidly changing industry. A decade later, those needs remain central to the organisation’s mission. Marie Noelle also paid tribute to Sameera for taking the chapter forward, strengthening partnerships and expanding its reach. What began as an effort to bring women together around technology has developed into a platform for recognition, professional growth and cross-continental connections.For her one of the most important lessons of the journey is the value of making women’s achievements visible. “Visibility is not vanity. It is how work gets funded, careers get built, and how the next woman finds out that this technology path exists,” she said.
Her words capture a challenge that extends far beyond Mauritius. Women may possess the skills, ideas and ambition to contribute to technological progress, but without visibility, their work can struggle to attract recognition, investment and opportunities. Visibility also shapes aspiration. When young women see others succeeding as engineers, founders, researchers and technology leaders, they are better able to imagine themselves following similar paths.
Women must help shape the future of AI
As artificial intelligence transforms industries and everyday life, the question of who develops and governs these technologies has become increasingly important. For Women in Tech Africa, the next decade must be about moving beyond participation towards influence, ensuring that women have a voice in the decisions that will shape Africa’s technological future.
This was a central message from keynote speaker Teswaree K. Heerah, Chief Information Security Officer at Mauritius Telecom, who highlighted the importance of including women in the development of AI systems, from research and design to security, governance and leadership. “The future cannot be built intelligently by leaving half of humanity missing from its design,” she said.
The argument is not that women should replace men in the technology sector, but that innovation is stronger when it draws on a wider range of experiences and perspectives. Technologies designed without sufficient consideration of women’s realities risk overlooking their needs, reinforcing existing inequalities or creating new forms of exclusion.
Teswaree pointed to the importance of developing solutions that address real challenges across Africa, including access to healthcare, education, financial services and digital connectivity. However, she cautioned that technological progress must be accompanied by strong foundations. Reliable infrastructure, quality data, appropriate governance and robust security are essential if AI is to be trusted and adopted at scale. “Trust is what will allow your innovation to scale up,” she said.
Her message was particularly relevant as businesses, governments and communities increasingly explore the possibilities of AI. The opportunity is not simply to adopt the latest tools, but to build technologies that are reliable, fair, secure and responsive to the needs of the people they serve. She also called for more practical opportunities for women entering the sector. Mentorship and workshops are valuable, but women must also be given the chance to undertake meaningful work, develop prototypes, analyse data, test systems and present their findings to decision-makers. The goal, she emphasised, is to create clear pathways through which women can progress from technology users to builders, leaders and decision-makers.
Empowerment means removing barriers
The importance of creating those opportunities was echoed by H.E. Mr Heinrich Giovanni April, High Commissioner of the Republic of South Africa, who highlighted the economic and strategic value of women’s participation in technology. “Empowerment is not charity. It is the removal of barriers, access to education, to capital, to networks, and to confidence,” he said.
For Heinrich, the gender gap in technology is not solely a women’s issue. It is also an economic challenge for countries seeking to strengthen their competitiveness, encourage innovation and develop a skilled workforce. When women are excluded from the teams designing AI systems, the consequences can extend into the products and services that people use every day, including hiring processes, credit assessments and childcare-related technologies. He also emphasised the importance of collaboration between Mauritius and South Africa, pointing to the potential for partnerships that connect developers, mentors, entrepreneurs, investors and students across borders. Such cooperation can help African talent access wider networks and markets, while encouraging home-grown solutions to challenges faced across the continent.
Yet celebrating women’s achievements must be accompanied by concrete action. April challenged organisations to examine their leadership structures, recruitment practices, procurement policies, scholarships, mentorship programmes and internships. The objective, he stressed, should not simply be to invite women into the conversation, but to ensure that they are included in the rooms where decisions are made. He also encouraged women to remain curious, develop their skills, seek mentors and become mentors themselves. “When you succeed, hold the door open for the next woman to come in,” he urged.
Building the next decade together
Another key message emerging from the anniversary was the importance of ensuring that Africa’s technological future reflects the people it is intended to serve.
AI presents significant opportunities, but those opportunities will not automatically translate into inclusion. They require deliberate decisions about who receives training, who gains access to funding, whose experiences inform technological design and who has the authority to shape the rules governing emerging technologies.
For women, this means moving beyond being represented in the technology sector to exercising meaningful influence over its direction. For organisations, businesses, governments and educational institutions, it means creating environments in which women’s contributions are recognised and their potential is actively developed. For young women, it means seeing technology not as a field reserved for others, but as a space in which they can build, innovate and lead.
As Sameera reflected on the chapter’s achievements, her message was clear: the next phase of the movement must be about ensuring that women are present wherever Africa’s technological future is being decided. The anniversary also served as a reminder that no woman succeeds entirely on her own. Mentors, colleagues, sponsors, educators and supportive communities all play a role in creating the conditions for success.
A decade after its beginnings in Mauritius, Women in Tech Africa stands on a foundation shaped by those collective efforts. Its next chapter will be measured not only by the number of women entering technology, but also by the opportunities they receive, the businesses they build, the decisions they influence and the barriers they help dismantle for those who follow. As artificial intelligence reshapes the world, the challenge is no longer simply to ensure that women have a place in technology. It is to ensure that they help determine what that technology becomes.
