Malawi's First Lady Calls for More Women in Cyber Security
“Our cyber security industry is mostly dominated by men and women as well as young girls are left behind,” Chakwera said.
LILONGWE, Malawi— First Lady Monica Chakwera on Tuesday called for more women and girls to be empowered in cyber security to bridge the gender gap in the industry, writes Moses Nyirenda.
Chakwera made the remarks during the opening of a four-day Women and Girls in Cyber-Africa Conference in Lilongwe, which is organized by the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA).
“Our cyber security industry is mostly dominated by men and women, and young girls are left behind,” Chakwera said.
Therefore, we need to empower women and young girls to take part in navigating the cyber security industry, most importantly by encouraging them to take up careers in cyber security.”
The First Lady also said that cyber cases would be reduced among women and young girls in the country if they were empowered with knowledge and skills in cyber security.
“Women and young girls are the most victims of cybercrimes such as bullying, and I believe that these cases would be reduced amongst them if they had knowledge and skills in cyber security,” she said.
MACRA Board Chairperson Stanley Chakhumbila Khaila said that MACRA is committed to ensuring that women and girls in the country have skills and knowledge concerning cyber security.
MACRA, as a regulator, is also responsible for ensuring that all Malawians, both men and women, have access to cyberspace, and that is our responsibility,” Khaila said.
“For this reason, MACRA is interested in making sure that women and girls who are always left behind are given the necessary skills and knowledge regarding cyber security for them to fully participate in cyberspace,” he said.
The Women and Girls in Cyber-Africa Conference, which is being held under the theme ‘Bridging the Gender Gap and Breaking the Glass Ceiling’ has attracted women and young girls from various countries, including; Malawi, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Botswana, and Zambia.