Go Online, Young Lady – an Invitation to the “Internet Revolution” in Chad

Chad has one of the world’s lowest rates of internet usage, with women even more disconnected than men due to social norms. But women are starting to break into the digital field – and are helping others do the same.

Thanks to a rising number of tech hubs, coding classes and start-up accelerators in N’Djamena, more and more women are learning and educating about digital technology, challenging the cultural expectations that tech jobs go mostly to men.

“Technology is something that will concern our whole lives,” says 35-year-old Aicha Adoum, founder of a telecoms company aimed at expanding internet access in Chad. “We need to sensitise young girls.”

Despite the low rates of connectivity – merely 6.5% of Chad’s population is online – the Central African country is seeing a steady increase in internet users, with the cost of 1 GB of phone date falling from $20 to $2.50 last year. In an event on women in tech, software engineer and entrepreneur Safia Youssouf tells young women to take advantage of the improving accessibility and affordability of data, adding, “The internet revolution is coming”.