Home » World Wide Web Foundation

World Wide Web Foundation

Women Closing the Internet Access Gender Gap in Ghana

Almost as many women as men use the internet in Ghana, according to a new survey from the World Wide Web Foundation. The study finds men are only 6% more likely to be online than women. This is in sharp contrast to the large gender gap found globally where men are 21% more likely to be online than women, rising to 52% in the world’s least developed countries. In Uganda, which also featured in the study, men were 43% more likely to be online than women. The survey shows that Ghana has made significant progress towards closing the gender gap in internet access, with 29% of women now online, up from fewer than 20% in 2016, according to a previous report from the Web Foundation and the Media Foundation for West Africa. However, the report warns that women using the internet in Ghana still expe...

Only 19% of Women Use Internet in Uganda, Study Shows

Women in Uganda use the Internet far less than men according to a new survey from the World Wide Web Foundation which found that 27% of men in the country are online, compared with just 19% of women. Uganda had by far the largest gender gap in internet access among four countries included in the survey of women’s online experiences. In Ghana, which also featured in the study, men were just 6% more likely to be online than women, compared with 43% in Uganda. Total internet use in Uganda remains low at 23% of the population, while Ghana has reached 30%. The exclusion of women from the digital society is a huge threat to progress on gender equality and denies women opportunities to improve their lives, the report warns: “The internet is one of the most empowering technologies the world has ev...

UN encourages Africa to invest on digital transformation

The UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) has encouraged African countries to make right investments toward developing a digitally transformed economy. Mr Jean-Paul Adam, Director, Technology, Climate Change and Natural Resources at UNECA, made the call on Tuesday during a webinar monitored in Abuja. The webinar was organised by Africa Information and Communication Technology Alliance (AfICTA) in collaboration with UNECA with the theme “Unlocking Africa’s Digital Potential Amid COVID-19”. Adam said that the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic had caused a disruption in activities, hence the need for a paradigm shift. “Africa needs to address issues that have limited their digital growth. There are issues of gender imbalance, speed of bandwidth, poor internet access. “When we get some of the...