• Orange Guinea launches 2026 “Hello Women” program for digital careers

• Initiative offers training, mentoring, facility visits and women’s hackathon

• Program aims to boost women’s participation in technology sectors

Orange Guinea announced the launch of the 2026 edition of its “Hello Women” program, an initiative designed to encourage young girls and women to pursue careers in science, technology and digital fields. The initiative was unveiled on Monday, March 9.

The program includes several activities: awareness sessions on technology careers, meetings with female professionals in the sector, and visits to the company’s technical facilities. Participants will also be able to take short training courses at the Orange Digital Center, covering areas such as software development, cloud computing, cybersecurity and data analysis. The initiative also includes a women’s hackathon aimed at developing technology solutions that address local challenges.

According to Ousmane Boly Traoré, chief executive of Orange Guinea, the program aims to support women at different stages of their journey, whether they are discovering digital careers, moving into technical roles or seeking their first professional experience. The company says it wants to help increase women’s participation in science and technology sectors, where they remain underrepresented.

Context

The initiative comes as women’s participation in digital careers remains limited across the African continent. According to UNESCO, women account for around 30 percent of scientific researchers in Africa, but their presence in information technology fields is lower still. In parts of West and Central Africa, women make up less than 15 percent of researchers in engineering and technology, limiting their participation in the digital economy.

Technology companies and telecoms operators are multiplying initiatives to close that gap. Within the Orange Group, women represent approximately 25.4 percent of the workforce in technical and digital roles. Through training and mentoring programs such as “Hello Women,” the operator hopes to broaden the pool of female talent and foster greater diversity in technology professions.

Beyond equality considerations, including women in science and technology fields is also viewed as a driver of economic development. The continent’s digital transformation is creating growing demand for skills in areas such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and data analysis. According to the World Bank, sub-Saharan Africa could generate up to 230 million digital jobs by 2030, driven by the rapid expansion of digital services, underscoring the need to train more talent, including women.

Samira Njoya