"The Future of Empowering Women in the Era of Digital Transformation" event has been held under the theme "Qodwa-Tech: Towards a Sustainable Impact." The event is held on an annual basis in conjunction with International Women's Day.
Officials from the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), the Deputy Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Egypt, and representatives of Egypt Post and the Digital Transformation for Sustainable Development (DT4SDE) project participated in the event.
The event highlighted the Egyptian government’s efforts in developing women’s digital skills, strengthening their role in society, and empowering them in the digital economy. Other topics discussed included the online training programs launched by MCIT to upskill young Egyptians in different parts of the country, the national digital transformation strategy, the impact of the digital environment on women's opportunities, and the need to further equip women with digital skills and knowledge to adapt in a fast-changing digital world.
Representatives of UNDP stressed its role in raising awareness of women’s opportunities in the digital economy as part of the global efforts for advancing women’s socio-economic empowerment, building digital citizens, and supporting gender equality. Within that framework, International Women's Day is celebrated every year in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
During the event, Egypt Post’s development strategy was discussed. Egypt Post has been adopting and introducing modern technology and smart solutions to improve the quality of services and deliver Digital Egypt services, helping meet the needs and expectations of citizens, especially women entrepreneurs and artisans.
The event featured a presentation on the activities carried out as part of Qodwa-Tech Initiative to empower women nationwide and hone their digital marketing and e-commerce skills. The initiative also covers different technology topics and trains participants to overcome financial difficulties through freelance websites.
A short film on Qodwa-Tech’s most prominent activities for 2022 was streamed during the event, and success stories of the initiative’s participants were presented. The event also shed light on the role of Qodwa-Tech in making a socio-economic impact in governorates and in enhancing women’s employability in the digital world.
At the opening session, exceptional participants of Qodwa-Tech for the year 2022 were honored and recognized for leading change, creating a positive footprint in their communities, and making sustainable environmental and societal impact in production and marketing. Experts and representatives of Qodwa-Tech’s partner agencies were also honored, and their efforts in upskilling craftswomen were acknowledged.
The event agenda included a session titled “The Impact of AI on Handicrafts.” It was joined by experts in AI, Metaverse, IT, and digital media. The session addressed AI-associated major opportunities and challenges, the role of AI in fostering innovation in projects, and how women entrepreneurs and artisans can employ that technology in digital marketing, design, and brand development.
It is worth noting that 7,000 women were trained through Qodwa-Tech in digital marketing, e-commerce, and freelance websites. So far, 44 batches of women from different governorates have successfully completed the training.
As part of Qodwa-Tech, 48 sessions and seminars were organized, covering digital marketing and e-commerce-related skills such as market analysis, project management, product design, financial management, pricing, photography, shipping and packaging. The initiative also helped raise awareness of the significance of adopting eco-friendly and green economy policies and standards in sustainable production, consumption and marketing.
