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How Business can Build Future Career Paths for Women in AI and Emerging Tech
The underrepresentation of women in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields continues to persist. This is despite progress being made in gender equality and equity over the last decade.
According to the latest UNESCO report on gender-responsive education, too many girls and women are held back by biases, social norms and expectations influencing the quality of the education they receive and the subjects they study. Girls are particularly under-represented in developing countries in the African continent; particularly around STEM education and, consequently, in STEM careers.
This gender disparity is alarming, especially as STEM careers are the jobs of the future. Think AI, workplace 4.0, driving innovation, social wellbeing, inclusive growth and sustainable development. This article seeks to understand the role of business in breaking the gender divide and how businesses can bridge this gap and create women leaders of the future.
Salesforce empowers women in AI
The greatest challenge to advancing gender equality in the workplace, particularly in the technology industry, is addressing women’s under-representation in emerging roles, such as AI as well as in cloud computing, engineering and Data, according to Ursula Fear, Senior Talent Programme Manager at Salesforce.
Across all sectors, systems need to become more equitable. To open up the technology industry specifically, the role of business to address the issue of equity should begin with education. Encouraging more women to enter STEM fields will help businesses address women’s under-representation in emerging roles such as cloud computing, engineering, data and AI.
“Addressing this challenge starts long before a woman enters the workforce. We need to work together – as education institutes, as business, as caregivers – to help cultivate an interest in ICT among young girls by exposing them to all the possibilities ICT holds,” says Fear.
“A successful outcome would be the day that we no longer need to talk about girls or women in ICT as a specific focus area. In the meantime we need to keep nurturing potential, interrogating how to make ICT more appealing to girls and women, and actively debunk any remaining stigmas, myths and stereotypes around ICT being a male field,” adds Fear.
Beyond Bias: Huawei’s Drive for Women in STEM Unlocks Futures
It is imperative to acknowledge the progress made towards gender equality in STEM despite the ongoing societal and educational challenges deterring women from these fields.
According to Vanashree Govender, Senior Communications Manager at Huawei South Africa, Huawei’s commitment to ICT education and empowerment is demonstrated through initiatives like the Seeds for the Future and the Huawei Bursary Programme which actively targets a 50-50 gender split.
“Our commitment to connecting more South Africans to the internet, with our telco partners, and bringing the very latest technologies to SA, means that we are well placed to run big ICT training programmes in the country. These programmes actively target women participants, from students to women entrepreneurs.”
Huawei’s Women in Tech programme, in partnership with the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies in South Africa, provides crucial exposure to new technologies like 5G, Cloud and AI to women entrepreneurs and ICT students to advance their digital skills and prepare for the future workplace.
These initiatives are integral to creating an inclusive environment and equipping women with the necessary tools to excel in STEM without being limited by gender roles or accessibility challenges.
Uber champions female entrepreneurship, empowering women to drive
Over the years, the e-haling industry has been male-dominated. In recent times, however, there has been a shift towards female e-hailing drivers taking up opportunities in this tech platform economy.
To aid and support women’s active participation and champion entrepreneurship in the South African economy, and through technology, Uber has launched several initiatives and in-app features to help women overcome the barriers that they face in their businesses. These include Women Rider Preferred, a feature that provides women with a choice in opting to be connected to women riders.
“We are especially proud to have been able to empower women in South Africa with access to new and flexible earning opportunities by providing them with the necessary resources to thrive and continue to improve their mobility and independence,” says Lorraine Onduru, Head of Communications, Sub-Saharan Africa, Uber
“Uber is committed to women earners and working with industry partners to remove any barriers that exist for women to get on the platform,” adds Lorraine
Future Forex take proactive steps to empower women in fintech sector
As part of our commitment to addressing the gender divide in STEM roles, Future Forex has taken proactive steps to empower and support women within the fintech sector. “We’re proud to have a strong representation of women, particularly in key leadership positions, across various departments within our organisation,” says Harry Scherzer, CEO of Future Forex.
“These talented women and all the females within their teams bring diverse skills, perspectives and expertise, contributing significantly to our company’s success and growth.
“An example of this is that, as part of our software engineering department, we have a seasoned female professional who has been instrumental in driving our technological advancements forward, demonstrating exceptional proficiency and dedication in her role,” says Scherzer. “Similarly, our Head of Trading is a science graduate who possesses a wealth of industry knowledge and strategic acumen, guiding our trading operations with precision and insight,” he adds.
Future Forex aren’t only addressing the gender divide by investing in the empowerment and capacity of women in STEM, but also cultivating a talented and diverse female workforce that drives innovation and success for the future.
Creating purposeful spaces conducive for women in STEM
Study after study across the world and various sectors have shown that by including and empowering women you accelerate sustainable development across all metrics, from health and education to food security and finance. “It is how we achieve a higher return on investment (ROI) in our quest to solve the challenges that plague our communities,” says Ayanda Mvandaba, CA(SA) and Entrepreneur.
“We must be purposeful about curating spaces that are conducive for women in STEM to create magic,” adds Mvandaba. In bridging the gap, the first point of call is, and always will be, access to information and opportunities. Mvandaba says businesses need to be intentional in how they choose to expose women in STEM in ways that boost their confidence and their skills and grow their networks.
“In order to address the gender divide with women in STEM roles, in my capacity as CEO of Drink Nil , I engage in mentorship relationships, provide sponsorships, emphasise continuous professional development, expose women to my network while teaching them to use the network effectively and the importance of social capital.” Mvandaba, this year, has also launched the Ayanda Vabaza-Mvandaba Bursary for students going into any field within the commerce faculty at a South African University.
Union Bank of Nigeria has secured certification under the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) version 4.0.1, a global standard for protecting payment card data.
The certification took effect on August 11, 2026, confirming that the bank’s systems for storing, processing and transmitting customers’ credit and debit card information meet stringent international security requirements.
PCI DSS certification is designed to reduce the risk of payment card data breaches and financial fraud while strengthening customer confidence in electronic payment systems.
The assessment covered key areas of Union Bank’s operations, including network infrastructure, card issuance, ATM and POS transactions, payment processing, reconciliation, settlement, chargebacks, dispute resolution and retail banking.
Union Bank was assessed and certified under the Service Provider category.
The certification process lasted a full year and involved quarterly assessments, with support from departmental, business and functional heads across the bank. Digital security firm Digital Encode supported the process, while the final independent audit was conducted by CyberCube, an accredited Qualified Security Assessor.
Yetunde B. Oni, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Union Bank, said the certification demonstrates the bank’s commitment to protecting customer information.
“The security of our customers’ information is central to everything we do at Union Bank. This certification reaffirms that our payment systems and processes meet a rigorous global standard, and it reflects the discipline of colleagues across the Bank who work every day to keep customer data safe.”
The renewal also ensures that Union Bank maintains continuous PCI DSS certification, in line with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s requirement for banks to sustain compliance without interruption.
New data from CFA Society Nigeria is reshaping how the country’s financial sector thinks about talent development, with Access emerging as the single largest source of CFA candidates in Nigeria, distinction industry watchers say signals a deeper shift in how leading institutions are building investment expertise from within.
In its Where Nigeria’s Finance Professionals Work series, published in a national daily, CFA Society Nigeria placed Access first among employers of CFA candidates nationwide, with 82 candidates enrolled in the programme, more than double the 38 recorded at the next-placed institution and well ahead of every other bank or financial services firm on the list.
Access also ranked second among employers of CFA charterholders, with 11 professionals who have completed all three levels of the Programme and met its experience and ethics requirements.
For an industry that has long measured itself by balance sheet size and branch count, the rankings point to a different kind of competition: one over who is building the deepest bench of certified, globally credentialed talent.
CFA Society Nigeria compiled the data from its Salesforce Membership Database as at June 2026, and described the exercise as a way of recognising employers whose people “bring rigour, integrity and global best practices into the workplace every day.”
Analysts following the sector say the outcome is notable less for the ranking itself than for what it suggests about talent strategy across Africa’s financial services industry. A single institution developing more aspiring charterholders than the rest of the market combined raises the floor for professional standards nationally, not just within one balance sheet.
Every candidate who advances through the CFA Programme adds to a shared pool of ethics-trained, analytically rigorous professionals that Nigeria’s capital markets, pension funds and asset managers all eventually draw from.
Access Holdings Group Chief Executive Officer Innocent C. Ike, commenting on the rankings, framed the achievement in terms of institution-building rather than recruitment: “Every candidate on that list represents our commitment to building institutions and professionals that endure.”
The remark echoes a broader thesis increasingly voiced by market observers, that talent depth, not scale alone, is what will determine which African financial institutions earn lasting global credibility.
That distinction sits at the centre of Access’s stated ambition to become the World’s Most Respected African Financial Services Group. If the CFA numbers are any indication, the Group’s route to that goal runs less through square metres of branch network and more through the calibre of the people sitting inside it, a bet that Nigeria’s finance professionals, and the institutions that will one day hire them, are already placing alongside Access.
Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has announced plans to introduce Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) baggage tracking technology across domestic and international airport terminals to tackle the growing problem of delayed, misrouted and missing luggages
Michael Achimugu, director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, NCAA, disclosed this at a stakeholder engagement forum in Lagos.
Achimugu said the RFID-enabled system would replace the traditional barcode-based baggage tracking framework and provide airlines and passengers with real-time visibility of checked luggage from check-in to final collection.
According to him, the technology would improve baggage traceability, reduce mishandling and strengthen accountability across the baggage-handling chain.
Unlike conventional barcode systems, RFID technology allows baggage to be automatically scanned at multiple points without requiring direct line of sight, enabling real-time tracking of luggage throughout its journey.
Achimugu said issues involving short-landed, missing, lost or damaged baggage had remained among the major complaints from air travellers, alongside flight delays.
He said the introduction of RFID technology was therefore aimed at improving baggage-handling standards and restoring passenger confidence in the aviation sector.
The NCAA said the initiative also aligns with IATA Resolution 753, which requires airlines to track baggage at key points during the passenger journey.
The authority expects the technology to provide more accurate information on the location of luggage, facilitate quicker resolution of baggage-related complaints and improve the overall passenger experience.
The NCAA said the initiative would also strengthen accountability among airlines and other stakeholders involved in baggage handling at Nigerian airports.
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