During a workshop organized by Advanced Computer Technology “ACT” company in cooperation with the German University in Cairo and the German Society for International Cooperation GIZ, the participants declared the urge for women empowerment in leadership positions in the field of communications and information technology, especially in the local private sector companies.
Dr. Heba Saleh, President of the Institute of Information Technology ITI asserted that the nature of the work environment nowadays for women is no longer restricted by the daily attendance policies especially after the advancement of internet networks and technology, women are becoming increasingly able to work from home. Today, At the Institute, females outnumber males, which highlights their skills and confirms their increasing capabilities to receive training at the highest professional level.
Additionally, Eng. Mohamed Abou El Lail, General Manager of ACT, confirmed that the company begun this year in applying its new strategy aiming at increasing women representation in the company through a protocol of cooperation signed with GIZ. He pointed to the need to bridge the gap between males and females in the labor market by providing equal job opportunities for women particularly in light of the national efforts and initiatives taken in this regard.
It is worth noting that the unemployment rates among females increased during the second quarter of this year according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics to reach 22.4% of the total female in the labor force, while it was 18.9% in the first quarter of 2019 compared to 21.2% in the corresponding quarter of the previous year.
For her part, Dina Abou El Yazid, Head of Operations at ACT International, stressed the need to enhance the role of Egyptian women in the labor market and specifically in the field of telecommunications and information technology since 44% of them are studying in that field, of whom only 26% only are working according to the World Bank.
According to her, women`s representation in the company today reached 21% of the total number of employees, aiming at supporting them to take part in leadership positions and strengthen their contribution to the market.
Finally, she announced that the aim of the workshop is to raise awareness of the challenges that may face women, which may hinder the optimum deployment of their abilities in the employment market and increasing women's opportunities in the Egyptian labor market.