Gender digital divide remain wide in Sub-Saharan Africa and in most remote parts compared to urban areas. These divides are caused by several factors including income, cost of devices such as smart phones, limited access to ICT based services and infrastructures including telecommunication networks, education and skill levels. Unfortunately, there are still limited understanding amongst policy makers, government bureaucrats and civil society actors on what actually is meant by gender as a concept. While other people may truly find it hard to conceptually grasp what gender entails, some stubbornly refuse to acknowledge its broad definition. The differentiated characteristics and uniqueness that exists due to biological differences and the opportunities or lack of it that manifests due to such differences require attention and specific ways of dealing with it.
Few years ago, I would find myself in arguments with friends in academia whom we were designing a women’s empowerment project for Northern Uganda. Some of these colleagues often, persist gender and women’s empowerment are overrated and does not fully embody principles of equality. They would advance such arguments – because I knew, their views and assumptions rested so much in a deeply entrenched patriarchal society. Therefore, such categories of people unfortunately reject, undermine or willfully disagree on the notion of gender and women’s empowerment. Advancing the gender equality agenda will require a group that understands the concept, is passionate about social justice and equality and are willing to stretch outside the limits of their comforts to challenge false narratives and perceptions that undermine women and the promotion of gender equality.
Recently a multi-stakeholder convening of civil society organizations working towards closing the gender digital divide and promoting gender equality took place at Fairway Hotel Kampala. The convening was made possible with financial support of the World Wide Web Foundation and implemented by the Women of Uganda Network and the Centre for Multilateral Affairs. At some point in time during plenary, the discussions and debate centered on simple ideas and recommendations such as need to support the enactment of policies or laws that protect women online for instance, on tech-related violence or sexual harassment. Other workshop participants emphasized need to lobby and support creation of desks or offices in most government Ministries, Departments and Agencies that addresses women’s issues. While such ideas may be articulated in good faith, they certainly miss the mark.
Gender issues is not purely and necessarily about the need to enact new laws or set of policies. As a matter of fact, policy makers may already have broad set of policy goals and proposals that are readily available from evidence-based research to inform their decision making processes. The web foundation has developed a set of policy options in this regard. These are the policy steps that countries can take to close the digital gender gap and ensure full digital inclusion! Rapid progress is possible if policymakers take immediate action to REACT — that is, to focus on Rights, Education, Access, Content, and Targets — to close the gender digital divide. Working with the Web Foundation to suggest policy making options that policy makers can undertake to make internet more affordable and close the gender digital divide in Uganda is a strategic step in the right direction. This is because, the policy prescriptions they provide is backed by evidence.
Civil society organizations, therefore, cannot simply wait for opportunities within policy making cycle to present themselves but take advantage of them strategically. Women and gender issues are unique and this therefore, means that, the views and perspectives of women are heard, attended to or addressed as a path to attainment of equality and development. However, civil society actors must be champions of these unique views that they have – building from body of evidence to engage policy makers on why they think certain policies or policy options are important or are necessary towards the empowerment of women. I have recently had the privilege to support a women’s organization in Uganda to ensure gender perspectives are incorporated into the NDPIII processes through – provision of financial and technical support as part of the GIZ Programme on Strengthening Governance and Civil Society in Uganda. One of the exciting scenarios was to oversee the efforts of the Uganda Women’s Network to engender the National Development Plan III (NDPIII).
UWONET understood that to be able to ensure the national development plan incorporates gender perspectives, they needed to be organized. They mobilized resources and they conducted consultations to derive a common agenda and position to engage the National Planning Authority (NPA) as government entity responsible for the NDPIII process. Through this approach, the organization was able to mobilize actors across all regions in Uganda to seek their views to inform the NDPIII process. This culminated into engagement with Government bureaucrats at many stages of policy development and also resulted into development of a common position which was presented to NPA to inform the NDPIII process.
Successful as it may be, the actions of UWONET demonstrates proactive steps CSOs can collectively take to rally for a common agenda and engage policy makers. UWONET did not only stop at the NDPIII process, the organization using same case study is seeking to ensure gender perspectives are incorporated into the development of the National Trade policy – which is currently being spearheaded at the Ministry of Trade Industry and Cooperatives. Thanks to funding support from the Civil Society in Uganda Support Program (CUSP) of the German International Cooperation Agency – GIZ.
The specific objective of the CUSP is to strengthen and improve the capacity and efficiency of civil society in Uganda, highlighting the Government of Uganda-CSO engagement in support of Uganda’s development goals. The programme components aim further at (a) promoting a conducive environment for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Uganda; (b) ensuring meaningful and structured participation of Civil Society in domestic policy processes and (c) building strong Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) that fulfil their roles and mandates. In doing all these, CUSP will be contributing to the objective of reduced poverty through better governance.
Therefore, policy making, and engagement will require strategic focus and direction. Working with key actors both in policy making cycle and broader stakeholder groups, mobilizing resources rallying and building consensus, and tapping from body of evidences to back up arguments, statements and view-points are successful cases of policy engagements and integration of gender perspectives in development policies and programs.
