• Orange Guinea relaunched the 2026 edition of the “Hello Women” program to encourage women to pursue careers in technology and digital sectors.
• The initiative offers training, mentorship, technical site visits and a women-focused hackathon through the Orange Digital Center.
• The program addresses a persistent gender gap in tech as women represent about 30% of researchers in Africa and less than 15% in engineering and technology in some regions.

Orange’s Guinean subsidiary announced the launch of the 2026 edition of its “Hello Women” program, an initiative that aims to encourage young girls and women to pursue careers in science, technology and digital industries.

Orange presented the program on Monday, March 9 and said it aims to strengthen Guinean women’s access to digital skills while supporting their entry into a sector that men still largely dominate.

The program includes several activities designed to introduce participants to technology careers and practical skills. Organizers will run awareness sessions on technology professions, facilitate meetings with female professionals in the sector and organize visits to the company’s technical sites.

Participants will also attend short training courses at the Orange Digital Center. The courses will cover topics such as software development, cloud computing, cybersecurity and data analysis.

The initiative will also host a women-focused hackathon to stimulate innovation and encourage participants to develop technological solutions that address local challenges.

Orange Guinea said the program will support women at multiple stages of their professional journey. Ousmane Boly Traoré, chief executive officer of Orange Guinea, said the initiative aims to guide women whether they want to discover digital professions, shift into technical careers or gain their first professional experience.

The company said it wants to expand women’s participation in scientific and technological sectors where female representation remains limited.

The initiative comes at a time when women still play a limited role in the digital sector across Africa. According to UNESCO, women account for about 30% of scientific researchers in Africa, but their presence in information technology fields remains significantly lower.

In parts of West and Central Africa, women represent less than 15% of researchers in engineering and technology, a gap that limits their participation in the digital economy. Technology companies and telecom operators have launched multiple initiatives to reduce this imbalance. Within the Orange Group, women represent about 25.4% of employees in technical and digital professions.

Orange said it hopes that training and support initiatives such as “Hello Women” will expand the pool of female talent and promote greater diversity in technology careers.

Beyond equality goals, policymakers and companies increasingly view female participation in science and technology as a driver of economic development. Africa’s digital transformation continues to create growing demand for skills in fields such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and data analytics.

The World Bank estimates that sub-Saharan Africa could generate up to 230 million digital-related jobs by 2030 as digital services expand rapidly across the region. This outlook increases the urgency to train more talent, including women, to meet the continent’s growing demand for digital skills.

This article was initially published in French by Samira Njoya

Adapted in English by Ange J.A de Berry Quenum