Blockchain ecosystem commits to gender equality in Africa, beyond

Research has shown that women are grossly under-represented in the workforce, with 95% of people in the blockchain industry being men, according to the Global Crypto User Index.

Project Syndicate also posits that the overall female labour-force participation rate in sub-Saharan Africa has reached 61%, yet women constitute only 30% of professionals in the tech industry.

This lack of equal representation has made certain tech spaces become a breeding ground for gender biases and discrimination and the cryptocurrency industry is not left out, as it has been predominantly a male-dominated sector.

Based on this, Binance who understands the importance of gender inclusivity in the blockchain world and has continued to create opportunities and initiatives tailored to meet these demands has urged centralised exchanges to work towards building a more balanced ecosystem to break the bias and create freedom of repression for all.

For International Women’s Month, Binance Africa rolled out an 8-week Bootcamp to equip women with the necessary tools and skills for a career in blockchain. The participants in this training session worked on hands-on projects and built important critical thinking skills with real-world problems and solutions.

Furthermore, Binance Charity, the philanthropic arm of Binance, launched the MamaToTheRescue project to strengthen the Kenyan economy and empower women with new and sustainable technical skills. Binance Charity sourced and donated sewing machines, creating job opportunities for local women.

Beyond its women-empowerment initiatives, Binance has also fostered a company culture that is not afraid to innovate and break the status quo. The company is one of the few tech companies with a sizeable number of women holding senior positions across many of its departments including, He Yi, Co-founder, and Chief Marketing Officer of Binance; Helen Hai, Head of Binance Charity and Binance NFT; Damilola Odufuwa, Head of Product Communications; Carine Dikambi, Francophone Africa Lead; Laura Li, Country Manager for Africa and Zane Wong, Director of KYC Compliance.

Remarking on the power of crypto and women’s rights, Head of Product Communications, Damilola Odufuwa said: “I have always been passionate about financial inclusion for women. The impact crypto and blockchain technology have on women’s rights is enormous. I was determined to use my experience in media and communications to aid the conversation on how tech & crypto can work hand-in-hand with tech & women’s rights to democratise the microphone that has traditionally been reserved for those in power. Of course, I was also drawn to the industry’s influence, use cases, transparency, and rapidly evolving nature.”

The Francophone Africa Lead, Carine Dikambi, believes blockchain technology is a transformative technology that improves lives and delivers financial freedom and inclusion for millions.