On the third day of the five-day online seminar organized by the 100 Women Plus project, participants focused on exploring the opportunities presented by the digital economy and addressing the existing gender gap in this field. Held on Monday, 26 June 2023, the session titled “Opportunities of the digital economy” shed light on initiatives aimed at reducing gender inequality and fostering inclusivity. Four speakers shared their insights and expertise during the session, analyzing investments in the digital economy and presenting strategies to bridge the gap.
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Carla García, the head of European projects at Finnova, opened the session with a speech on the European Union’s digital strategy. She highlighted the European Commission’s commitment to adapting European society to the digital era as one of its key priorities for the period 2019-2024. The strategy revolves around three principles: utilizing technology for the benefit of citizens, establishing a fair and competitive digital economy, and advocating for a more open, democratic, and sustainable European society. García praised the proposal and introduced the “2030 Digital Europe” initiative, which aims to empower businesses and society for a sustainable, prosperous, and people-centered digital future.

Empowering women to play a more active role in the digital age emerged as a significant challenge within the initiatives presented, which are supported by the European Commission. The session highlighted the low inclusion and participation of women in STEM careers, as well as gender biases in both online and offline worlds. To address these challenges, three areas of action were proposed: promoting digital education, tackling gender stereotypes, and encouraging female entrepreneurship.

Massimiliano Dragoni, a policy officer at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Communication Networks, discussed two Commission proposals: the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Approved in October 2022, these proposals aim to create a safer digital space, establish a level playing field, foster innovation, and drive competitiveness. The DSA focuses on mechanisms for the removal of illegal content while safeguarding users’ fundamental rights. Online platforms will be required to implement these measures by February of the following year. The DMA aims to ensure fair conduct by large platforms, fostering a balanced online ecosystem for businesses and users. Platforms have until March 2024 to implement the proposed measures.

Cheta Nwanze, lead partner at SBM Intelligence, discussed opportunities for women in digital entrepreneurship, focusing on the case of Nigeria. Nigeria faces notable gender gaps in literacy and access to education, which contribute to economic disparities, with over half of Nigerian women living below the poverty line. Nwanze emphasized that greater inclusion of women in the digital economy presents an excellent opportunity to reduce inequality and address the country’s economic challenges. She cited agriculture, where 60% of Nigerian women work, as a sector that could significantly improve national economic conditions through increased productivity driven by digital tools applied to agricultural practices.

García took the floor again, highlighting the significance of proposals related to the digital economy within the EU budget. The digital economy accounts for 20% of the total allocated funds for the COVID-19 Next Generation pandemic recovery. Additionally, the digital economy plays a crucial role in other programs such as Digital Europe, Erasmus Plus, Horizon Europe, and Single Market. García also shared examples of initiatives like WeGate, a European platform for women entrepreneurs, the Equals network, which promotes women’s access to technology, and the Women Angels for STEAM network, a community supporting women entrepreneurs in the STEAM field.

The final speech of the day was delivered by Agustín Quesada, head of European projects at Finnova, who presented the main conclusions of the HIBA-HUB Iberia Agrotech project. The project focuses on the Spanish-Portuguese border region, an area at risk of depopulation and with limited technological resources. The project has contributed to the deployment of resources, conducted workshops for the utilization of these services, and adapted innovations to the agri-food ecosystem. Finnova organized the seminar “Digitalisation of agriculture, women, and young people in the agricultural sector” as part of the project’s activities. The project, co-funded by the EU Erasmus+ Programme and led by Finnova in collaboration with the Cabildo of Fuerteventura and the association Fundadoras, aims to enhance international cooperation in women’s empowerment and address the need for greater equality. The 100 Women Plus project facilitates collaboration, dialogue, and learning activities between institutions in Europe and Africa, strengthening the ecosystem of women entrepreneurs in participating countries.

Finnova, a Spanish-Belgian non-profit foundation based in Brussels and Spain, focuses on promoting and developing innovation and entrepreneurship within the EU. Finnova’s extensive experience in leading communication and dissemination activities for European projects, combined with its commitment to business creation, entrepreneurship support programs, and training for young people, has made it an influential player in the field.
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