Celebrating #GirlsInICT: Kateule Nakazwe

Celebrating #GirlsInICT: Kateule Nakazwe – Digital Media Strategist & Communications Lead at BongoHive, Technology and Innovation Hub

As part of my work, I get to organise and coordinate tech events and hackathons hosted by BongoHive. At BongoHive, we are big on technology, and emphasize on its use for a better Zambia and world. If you have attended a BongoHive event before, you have probably directly or indirectly encountered with me.

The world we live in today of technology, digital marketing and social media is having a significant impact on how we behave socially, act as consumers and how we do business so it could be fair to say that any business that does not adapt to the new era of marketing and communications is in danger of losing out.

Why should girls take up tech or ICT related subjects, and what can Zambia do to help them get to where they want to be in their careers?

ICT and Technology is still a male dominated field in Zambia. Even when we host hackathons at BongoHive, majority of participation is male, despite encouraging women to attend and get involved.

We recently, hosted a Bots party for Facebook messenger where female representation was very low, so together with Asikana network we coordinated another event targeting ladies only. We had about 15 ladies in ICT come through which was great. I see countless opportunities for girls in ICT both academically and professionally. We can do more to let the girls know about the opportunities available for them in ICT and how they can make the most of them.

More opportunities are being created everyday, all the girls need to do is step up, get involved and take them with heels on. Through people like Chisenga Muyoya, cofounder Asikana Network, Lindiwe Banda, Senior Manager at Mtn we see that it’s entirely possible to fly high. #GirlsinICT