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Looking back at ten years of ICT women success
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As we celebrate women’s
month, we take a walk back and look at women who have
made the African Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) industry the success it is today.
“For a long time ICT was viewed as a male dominated
industry with very few women involved in it,” says Jane
Mosebi, ForgeAhead managing director.
“However in the last ten years we have seen a whole
paradigm shift and watched women rise to take up their
rightful places in many sectors including ICT.
“In today’s world of technology women are in control and
actively contributing to making it progressive every
day,” she says.
The African ICT Achievers Awards Programme was launched
in 1998, at a time when there were not as many women
participants in the sector. This programme was launched
to initially encourage black participants and recognize
those who had done outstanding work in the sector. Today
the programme has spread to the rest of Africa.
As the years advanced and with the advancement of the
programme, the Top Woman ICT Achiever Award has become
sought after. This of course bodes well because it
simply means that women have seized the sector and are
taking advantage of opportunities that have been opened
for them. More and more ICT companies are run by women
or have women in very senior positions.
Let’s take a look at some phenomenal women that have
positively contributed to ICT advancement in Africa and
have received recognition from the African ICT Achievers
Awards Programme.
In 1998 Jane Mosebi having founded ForgeAhead, a
specialist ICT Research and Consulting house in 1997,
spearhead the African ICT Achievers Awards. Mosebi is
head of the company which is a majority black owned. Its
brand reflects a diverse culture, as well as the
fiercely independent spirit of an organisation that
shares a collective passion for excellence. The
ForgeAhead name accurately describes the company as one
that lives at the leading edge of new ICT trends and
developments, assimilating and analyzing these outcomes,
together with ForgeAhead’s research of the
Telecommunications, Public and Private Sector markets
and applying the outcomes for the benefit of our
customers. ForgeAhead today boasts many achievements
including the established African ICT Achievers Awards
having been in existence for ten years this year.
In 1999 Lillian Thandi Mkhonza was recognized as a top
woman performer in the ICT industry. At that time she
was the managing director at Lihlulu Business Solutions.
Mkhonza has severed as councilor in the Greater
Nelspruit Land Affairs Committee and IT Privatisation
committee. She has also been the secretary of the
National Executive Committee of the Women’s League.
Still in 1999 Kgomotso Mathanda was recognized as a Top
Woman Performer in the ICT industry. She was the Group
Marketing, PR and Communications Coordinator for Elexir
Technology Holdings. She was a member of Black IT Forum,
Black Management Forum, Enterprise Investment Forum and
of Institute of Personnel Management.
In 2001 Pinky Moholo was a finalist for Top Woman in the
ICT sector. At that time Moholo was the Deputy Vice
President of Sales and Marketing Department, She has
been a member of the South African advisory group
(African Communications Ministers) on ICT development.
She is also a founding member and Chair Person of
National Telecommunications Forum, (NTF). Moholo has
also been a founding member and trustee: Board of the
centre for development for Information and Technology
Program (CDITP).
In 2002 Ms Sharoda Rapeti won the Top Black Woman
African ICT Achievers Award. She was the managing
Director of SABC, Technology. Rapeti is the Deputy
Chair: Council for Built Environ; Vice-President:
Engineering Council of SA; Managing Director:
Technology, SABC in Gauteng.
In 2003 Thobeka Mirriam Zwane won the Top Black Woman
African Achiever Award. Zwane started working at Praxis
computers as a consultant in the year 1993. After four
months she joined as a partner with a 4% shareholding
and has grown her shares over the years into greater.
Zwane has always had a desire to make a difference into
unprivileged people’s lives. She has trained unemployed
Soweto community members in ICT skills and 80% of them
were able to find jobs in the ICT industry.
In 2004 Sarmashni Naidu was a finalist for the Top Black
Woman African Achiever Award. Naidu started Sage
Computer Technologies in 1998 and together with her team
has managed to overcome a lot of extraordinary obstacles
including gender stereotypes that has been prevalent in
the workplace. Naidu’s contribution in building Sage
Computer Technologies as a successful, service oriented
ICT Solution Provider has been invaluable and bears
testament to her tireless belief and investing in women
and individuals that seek passion and excitement.
In 2005 Thoko Mokgosi Mwantembe won the Top ICT Business
Woman in Africa Achiever Award. Mwantembe is the chief
executive officer for HP South Africa and the first
black person to be appointed head of an American
multinational technology company in South African. Under
her leadership, HP South Africa has grown its market
share and business revenue considerable while firmly
establishing itself as a leader in the South African
market, with the local business considered to be one of
the fastest growing subsidiaries of the company
worldwide.
In 2006 Dr Sebiletso Mokone – Matabane won the Top ICT
Business Woman in Africa Achievers Award. Dr Mokone is
the acting Managing Director, Chief executive Officer of
Sentech. She has completed a communication task group on
Government communications and made recommendations
leading to the establishment of the GCIS.
In 2007 Jyoti Mukherjee won the Top ICT Business Woman
in Africa Achievers Award. Mukherjee started a company,
Software Technologies in 1991 which focused on
development and distribution of databases. Today
Software Technologies is the leading software company in
Kenya. She is a founding member of the Information
Society of Kenya and also serves as a director for the
centre for corporate governance in Kenya.
“This year once again a great focus and highlight will
be on who will walk away with the coveted Top ICT
Business Woman in Africa award.
“The awards ceremony will take place in November in
Johannesburg and will be announced by the South African
Minister of Communications,” concludes Jane.
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August 2008
African ICT Achievers Fact Checking
20 September 2008
African ICT Achievers Online Adjudication
10 October 2008
African ICT Achievers Face to Face Adjudication,
Jhb, Gauteng
28 November 2008
African ICT Achievers Leaders Forum & Finalists
Breakfast, Jhb, Gauteng |
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