by MTHULISI SIBANDA
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – HUAWEI South Africa has equipped young women with practical skills in areas such as artificial intelligence, coding and digital entrepreneurship, in commemoration of the recent annual Girls in ICT Day.
The day, hosted by Huawei South Africa in partnership with United Nations Women, also celebrated their role in the digital economy as future participants and young innovators who can help shape the future.
The event welcomed students from Gauteng and Limpopo who are part of UN Women’s African Girls Can Code Initiative (AGCCI), alongside members of Huawei’s Graduate Programme.
Themed “CTRL + SHE: Where She Takes Control of the Future,” the programme gave participants a closer look at what a career in ICT can look like, combining an Innovation Centre tour with keynote addresses and direct engagement with women working across the technology and education sectors.
Opening the day, Vanashree Govender, Senior Public Relations Manager for Media and Communications at Huawei South Africa, said the event was designed to create space for students and young graduates to engage with each other and with women already working in ICT.
“This day serves as an important reminder that the future of technology will be stronger and more relevant when more young women are part of shaping it.”
Christina Naidoo, Chief Operating Officer at Huawei South Africa, noted the progress the Graduate Programme has made since its launch. More than 350 graduates have entered the industry through the programme since 2017, with women comprising half of that intake.
“Know that you belong here. You belong in the labs, the development teams and the boardrooms where the big decisions are made,” she told attendees.
Naidoo also highlighted Huawei’s wider skills development work, noting that through initiatives such as the Graduate Programme, ICT Academy and Code for Mzansi, the company reached more than 15 000 students in 2025 alone.
Dr Hazel Gooding, Deputy Representative at UN Women South Africa Country Office, addressed the relationship between artificial intelligence and inclusion.
“If left unchecked, AI will not automatically advance equality,” she said.
“It can just as easily entrench inequality, reproduce bias, exclude women from its benefits and amplify the very inequalities that we are trying to dismantle.”
She cited the AGCCI as evidence of this work in practice and how young women in the programme are already building digital solutions to problems affecting their communities.
Gooding also drew attention to technologically facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), raising it as a direct consequence of unchecked digital spaces and a reason why responsible technology use must be part of how young women are equipped.
“Technologically facilitated gender-based violence is being used to attack women and girls online. This is a serious issue and one that we cannot ignore.”
Queen Ndlovu, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of QP Drone Tech, expressed confidence that her drone business will reach “unicorn” status soon.
Even with no background in ICT, she recognised in 2017 that drones would play a role in the digital economy and spent six months in China researching the technology.
“If a door is closed, it isn’t locked—keep trying. If you don’t like what’s behind it, pivot with purpose. Study the market, take the risk and move with intention,” Ndlovu advised.
Nosipho Zwane, a Graduate Programme alumna, is now an Access Network Product Manager and Solution Architect at Huawei.
The previous year, she was in the audience as a graduate, but this year she was one of the speakers.
“CTRL + She isn’t just a slogan—it’s a call to take command. Own your voice, your growth and your impact. Take up space and trust your potential. You belong here,” Zwane told attendees.
Kgoetsimang Mulaudzi, a learner and coder from the UN Women African Girls Can Code Initiative (AGCCI), shared how coding and robotics have shaped her confidence and growth.
“Coding is the language we use to turn ideas into instructions. Robotics is coding that you can touch,” she said.
Huawei believes its continued investment in this effort reflects a clear position that South Africa’s digital future is stronger when more women are part of shaping it.
– CAJ News