AfricanWISN – African Women In Security Network

AfricanWISN is the first Pan-African community of women in cybersecurity, risk management and privacy domains with the mission to foster the women’s participation, contribution and advancement in the field; for a more inclusive and diverse cyber workforce while narrowing the talent and gender gaps in the industry.

Fostering participation, contribution and advancement of African women in cybersecurity

A formidable force of African women in cybersecurity in Africa and globally

Currently, women represent only a minority of the workforce in the cybersecurity domain. The figures have increased over the years, but they are still far from reflecting a balanced representation of both genders. There are several reasons behind this lack of female presence. In addition to those in common with other STEM fields, we have to face the wide-spread perception of the cybersecurity as a male-dominated and highly specialised IT field, thus, not an appropriate field for women to enter into. This situation calls for actions to contribute towards a cultural shift in favour of a more inclusive approach that would be beneficial for the cybersecurity market and of the society as a whole.

On a broader perspective, the issue of diversity, also with respect to the particular domain of cybersecurity, pertains to the overarching issue of gender equality. Gender equality has been identified as one of the seventeen (17) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) included in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted by world leaders in 2015. Gender equality has been ranked as the 5th SDG and it is considered to be integral to the entire set of the SDGs identified.

Adapted from “Women in Cyber: A Manifesto for Today” by Concordia and Women4Cyber