Technical training alone is insufficient to prepare young women for careers in information and communication technology (ICT), with technology company Huawei South Africa saying that confidence, mentorship and industry exposure are equally important in developing the next generation of women leaders.

The company says its approach extends beyond technical training to include leadership development.

Female participants in its various development programmes are encouraged to engage directly with experienced professionals and collaborate with peers to develop the communication and leadership skills needed throughout their careers.

The company says specific initiatives, such as its yearly Girls in ICT Day, support this broader strategy by addressing one of the biggest barriers to greater female participation in technology – that of perception.

For example, during the 2026 Girls in ICT Day event, which took place in April and was hosted in partnership with UN Women, students from Gauteng and Limpopo participated in the UN Women’s African Girls Can Code Initiative (AGCCI), alongside members of the Huawei South Africa Graduate Programme. Participants received practical exposure to AI, coding and digital entrepreneurship while engaging directly with women working across the technology sector.

The event was intended to create opportunities for students and young graduates to engage with women already working in ICT and “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”, says Huawei South Africa senior PR manager: media and communications Vanashree Govender.

The initiative is also intended to be more than a one-off event, with participants being connected to graduate programmes, internships and industry networks. It also helps to increase the number of women entering technology careers.

Huawei South Africa COO Christina Naidoo says the company’s graduate programme has placed more than 350 graduates in industry since 2017, with women accounting for half of that intake.

The Huawei Graduate Programme, ICT Academy and Code for Mzansi initiatives reached more than 15 000 students during 2025, she adds.

While skills development is an important component of improving women’s participation in ICT, UN Women South Africa Country Office deputy representative Dr Hazel Gooding says inclusion must also extend to the development and governance of emerging technologies such as AI.

“If left unchecked, AI will not automatically advance equality. 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.”

Women and girls must be involved not only as users of AI but also in the rooms where it is designed, governed and deployed. Gooding cites the AGCCI as an example of young women developing digital solutions for challenges affecting their communities.

She also highlights technologically facilitated gender-based violence as a challenge that must form part of discussions regarding responsible technology use.

Role Models

Huawei believes that one of the most effective ways of encouraging more women to enter the sector is by exposing young people to role models whose career paths demonstrate that there is no single route into technology.

As such, among the speakers during the 2026 Girls in ICT Day was QP Drone Tech CEO and founder Queen Ndlovu, who told attendees she entered the industry without an ICT background after recognising the potential of drone technology and spending six months in China researching the field.

Meanwhile, Huawei South Africa access network product manager and solution architect Nosipho Zwane, who attended the programme as a graduate before returning as a speaker, encouraged participants to take similar ownership of their careers.

“‘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,” she said.