On 15 and 16 July 2026, Cabo Verde hosted the first Women in Tech® Lusophone Summit, a two day gathering that brought together women leaders, entrepreneurs, and decision makers from across the Portuguese speaking world. Organised by Women in Tech® Cabo Verde with free and open access, the summit welcomed participants at the campus of the University of Cabo Verde and at the Praia Technology Park, placing the archipelago at the centre of a community of more than 260 million people connected by a common language.

A Programme Built Around Talent

The summit opened on 15 July with a GovTech workshop for university students, launched with a keynote by Manuel Schiappa Pietra of FreeBalance on the digital government experience of Timor Leste. Students then worked in teams to develop their own projects, which were presented to a jury that awarded a prize to the winning group. The format extended a tradition the Cabo Verde chapter has built over three years of robotics and coding workshops in Mindelo and Praia, turning the summit itself into a hands on learning opportunity for the next generation.

The second day, held at the Praia Technology Park, opened with a keynote by Ayumi Moore Aoki, Founder and CEO of Women in Tech® Global, who retraced the journey of the organisation since 2018: from a first summer coding camp of 50 women from 35 countries to a global movement active in more than 70 countries, with close to one million women reached through its four pillars of education, digital inclusion, advocacy, and entrepreneurship.

Voices From Across the Lusophone Space

The opening panel on public policy and innovation brought together Her Excellency Janira Hopffer Almada, President of the National Assembly of Cabo Verde; Her Excellency Débora Carvalho, First Lady of Cabo Verde and godmother of the national chapter; His Excellency António José Medina dos Santos Baptista, Minister of Economy, Commerce, Industry and Digital Transition; Patricia Portela, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Cabo Verde; and Ayumi Moore Aoki.

The programme continued with panels on the relationship between universities and the labour market, cybersecurity and disinformation, digital financial inclusion, and the Lusophone creative economy. Speakers included Nádia Teixeira of Cabo Verde Airlines, Luísa Ribeiro Lopes of .PT, Nilza Rodrigues of Forbes África Lusófona, and Varsénia da Luz, captain of Cabo Verde’s national women’s football team, whose presence resonated in a year when the Blue Sharks carried the country’s talent onto the world stage.

A dedicated panel on women in technology across the Lusophone space united the leadership of four national chapters: Mayra Silva of Women in Tech® Cabo Verde, Cláudia Mendes of Women in Tech® Portugal, Jaquelina Ngulo of Women in Tech® Angola, and Delfina Franco of Women in Tech® Mozambique, in a conversation on the challenges and opportunities shared across the community.

Three Announcements for the Road Ahead

From the stage in Praia, Ayumi Moore Aoki made three announcements that will shape the organisation’s Lusophone agenda. Women in Tech® will open two new chapters, in São Tomé and Príncipe and in Guinea Bissau, extending the movement’s presence across Lusophone Africa. The Women in Tech® Global Summit 2027 will take place in Rio de Janeiro from 20 to 22 April. And the Lusophone Summit will continue as an annual gathering, with its second edition to be hosted in Paraíba, Brazil, in 2027, in the presence of Her Excellency Elis Ribeiro, Secretary of State of the Government of Paraíba, who attended the summit in Praia.

Three Years in the Making

The summit crowned three years of work by Women in Tech® Cabo Verde, established in 2023 under the direction of Mayra Silva and with the First Lady of Cabo Verde as its godmother. What began as a national chapter running masterclasses and workshops has grown into the host of a first of its kind international summit, demonstrating what local leadership can build within a global movement.

Women in Tech® Global thanks the Government of Cabo Verde, the University of Cabo Verde, the Praia Technology Park, and all partners and volunteers who made the summit possible. The dream that started in 2018 with five million women remains the destination. Praia brought the Lusophone world one step closer to it, together.

On 1 December, Women in Tech Spain celebrated a milestone event at the Residence of France in Madrid, where H.E. Kareen Rispal, Ambassador of France to Spain, officially became the marraine (godmother) of the chapter. The evening brought together leaders from business, diplomacy and the tech ecosystem to advance Women in Tech’s mission and to anchor the Osaka Protocol in the Spanish context.

The program opened with remarks by Patricia Arboleda, Managing Director of Women in Tech Spain, who highlighted the rapid growth of the chapter and its four strategic pillars: education and employability, community building, corporate alliances and inclusive cultures. Ambassador Rispal then addressed the audience, underlining her commitment to gender equality and to supporting Women in Tech Spain as *marraine*, the first time the French Embassy in Madrid has taken on such a role for a women‑in‑tech initiative.

Ayumi Moore Aoki, Founder and CEO of Women in Tech Global, set the global frame for the evening by connecting the work of Women in Tech Spain to international tech diplomacy efforts and to the Osaka Protocol, launched at the Women in Tech Global Summit. A high‑level panel moderated by Patricia Arboleda, with speakers from AENOR, Cloudera, the Harvard Belfer Center/UN AI Advisory Body and Tara for Women, explored equality as a strategic driver of innovation, better decision‑making and corporate competitiveness in key areas such as cybersecurity, AI and entrepreneurship.

The highlight of the night was the presentation of the Osaka Protocol and a symbolic signing ceremony, during which Remora Talent Advisory, Jota2Group and MIOTI became the first Spanish organizations to formalize their commitments under the framework. Joined by Ambassador Rispal and Ayumi Moore Aoki, the signatories reinforced a shared ambition to help reach the Protocol’s goal of positively impacting 100 million women and girls by 2030 through concrete programs and measurable outcomes.

Closing the evening, Women in Tech Spain invited participants to deepen their engagement through future events, international delegations and continued collaboration on Osaka Protocol commitments. With the French Embassy in Madrid as an institutional partner and the Ambassador as marraine, Women in Tech Spain stands poised to amplify its national and international impact as part of the broader Women in Tech Global movement.

Women in Tech Uzbekistan, in partnership with Uzinfocom, officially premiered the second episode of the documentary film The Women’s Path (Ayol Yo‘li) on 7 November 2025 in Tashkent.

This new release continues the Women’s Path documentary series, which highlights the resilience, determination, and lived experiences of women in Uzbekistan — and shows how family support, mentorship, and community belief shape their journeys into technology.

Episode Two follows the real stories of three women from regions of Uzbekistan, including such cities as Fergana, Nukus, and Navoi. Their experiences reflect the diversity and potential of women contributing to the country’s digital development, as well as the importance of encouragement from those around them — parents, partners, teachers, mentors, and friends.
This project continues the mission to expand representation, amplify women’s voices, and strengthen access to opportunities across Uzbekistan’s growing tech ecosystem.

The film premiered on the big screen in Tashkent at the Youth Affairs Agency together with White Alliance — a warm and memorable evening with our heroines, their families, friends, partners, and guests. Now the film begins its journey across the regions of Uzbekistan, and beyond.

🎬 Full film available here: https://youtu.be/Q2sLpFog9H4?si=8SLHQli84dkFdtPX

Featuring the heroines Dilrabo Khidirova, Aygul Tumaeva, and E’zoza Ergasheva,
Produced by Dildora Tursunova and the Uzinfocom team, Anna Ambrozevich, Irodakhon Azimoza, Gulnora Abdunazarova and Women in Tech Uzbekistan

The 8th Women in Tech® Global Awards gathered an international community of leaders, innovators and allies in Paris to celebrate outstanding women and role models who are shaping the future of technology. The ceremony honoured individuals and organisations whose work is transforming industries, influencing policy and building a more inclusive digital future.

Honouring excellence across ten categories
This edition of the Global Awards spotlighted ten categories reflecting the breadth of roles and pathways in technology, from emerging talent and entrepreneurship to global leadership and lifetime impact. Together, the 2025 awardees illustrate how women and allies are driving change across regions and disciplines, and how inclusive leadership is becoming a strategic imperative for the tech ecosystem.

2025 Award Recipients
The following individuals and organizations received recognition across ten award categories:

🏆 Aspiring Teen Award: Amira Alqabbaa (Middle East) and Aurora Delgado Camones (LATAM)

🏆 Most Disruptive Award: Adriana Marais (Africa)

🏆 Best Ally Award: Ivo Haase (Europe)

🏆 Most Impactful Initiative Award: MOMADE VAA LLC (APAC)

🏆 Woman in Web3 Award: Ella Cullen (Europe)

🏆 Tech Diplomacy Award: Nathalie KIENGA (Africa)

🏆 Start-Up Award: Dr. Jayantika Soni (APAC) and Makpal Orakkyzy (CCA)

🏆 Global Leadership Award: Titi Akinsanmi (North America)

🏆 Lifetime Achievement Award: Carme Artigas (Europe)

🏆 Honorary Award: Lucia Acurio

A global platform for visibility and impact
Across these ten categories, each laureate’s story demonstrates how access to education, networks, capital and leadership opportunities can unlock powerful, technology‑driven solutions for communities worldwide. By bringing their achievements to a global stage, the Women in Tech® Global Awards reinforce the organisation’s mission to empower women and girls in STEAM and to showcase role models from every region.

Beyond celebration: a call to action
The 8th Women in Tech® Global Awards are not only a celebration of individual excellence; they are also a call to action for companies, governments, investors and institutions to deepen their commitments to gender equality in technology. As Women in Tech® Global continues to expand its footprint, the 2025 awardees stand as ambassadors of what is possible when diverse leadership is recognised, supported and given the space to drive systemic change.

WOMEN IN TECH® Global is pleased to announce the formalization of a strategic partnership with France’s Foreign Trade Advisors (CCE), signed at BERCY, the French Ministry of Finance & Economy, on July 11, 2025. This agreement represents a significant advancement in the commitment of both organizations to foster women’s innovation and enhance international collaboration in the technology sector.

The partnership brings together the global reach of WOMEN IN TECH®, representing over 300,000 members across 60 countries, and the longstanding expertise of the CCE, an institution with more than 125 years of experience supporting French enterprises abroad. The collaboration is designed to create new opportunities for women entrepreneurs, promote international exchange, and further position France as a leader in women’s tech entrepreneurship.

The agreement was signed by Ayumi Moore Aoki, Founder and CEO of WOMEN IN TECH® Global, and Sophie Sidos, President of the CCE and the first woman to hold this position in the organization’s history. Both leaders emphasized the importance of this alliance in providing women innovators with access to international markets and resources, reinforcing a shared vision for advancing gender diversity in technology.

This partnership was made possible through the strategic guidance of Claudine Leprince, the bridge-building efforts of Anne Baer, and the ongoing leadership of Angela Naser, Director of Women in Tech® France. WOMEN IN TECH® Global and the CCE will announce further joint initiatives and programs in the coming months as part of their continued dedication to supporting women in technology and international business.

🎉 The Grow with Google scholarships are back, in collaboration with Women in Tech® Peru! 🎓✨
For the second consecutive year, Women in Tech® Peru has partnered with #Google through the Grow with Google program to offer up to 5,000 scholarships nationwide 🌍🚀

Want to boost your career in technology, management, or artificial intelligence? 👀
This is your opportunity to access professional certificates and AI courses that are 100% online, free of charge, and require no prior experience, all available through the #Coursera platform. 🧠💻

👩‍💻 Available Courses:

✅ Cybersecurity
✅ Project Management
✅ Digital Marketing & E-commerce
✅ Data Analytics
✅ Information Technology
✅ UX Design and User Experience
✅ Fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence
✅ Fundamentals of Prompting for AI

📅 Apply by June 6, 2025

📍 Requirements:

• Be over 18 years old
• Reside in Peru
• Have access to the internet
• Have limited financial resources or face barriers to accessing professional training

🎯 Apply here!

A new collaborative initiative between Microsoft and Founderz is addressing the stark gender disparity in artificial intelligence through a free course specifically designed for women. The “AI Skills 4 Women” program, launching on March 8th—International Women’s Day—represents a significant step toward increasing female representation in a field where women remain dramatically underrepresented.

The Concerning State of Gender Diversity in AI

Recent data highlighted in the program’s promotional materials reveals a troubling landscape: women constitute merely 12% of AI researchers, less than 22% of AI professionals, and hold only 16% of AI faculty positions. These statistics underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions to diversify the AI workforce.
“Neither energy nor billion-dollar investments. What truly powers AI are people like you,” reads the program announcement, emphasizing that diverse perspectives are essential to developing ethical, inclusive artificial intelligence systems that work for everyone (AI Skills 4 Women, 2025).

Comprehensive Curriculum for Future Leaders

The entirely online program offers a three-hour curriculum covering essential AI topics:

• AI Fundamentals: Core concepts and principles of artificial intelligence
• Practical Applications: Real-world implementation of AI technologies
• Prompt Engineering & Ethics: Responsible AI interaction and ethical considerations
• AI Cybersecurity & Data Analytics: Critical skills for protecting and analyzing AI systems
• Leadership & Mentorship: Career development guidance from established AI experts

Participants who complete the course will receive an official Microsoft Achievement Badge that can be shared on professional networking platforms like LinkedIn, providing tangible recognition of their newly acquired skills.

Special Benefits for Women in Tech Hub Members

For members of the Women in Tech Hub, this opportunity aligns perfectly with the organization’s educational mission. WIT Hub members can leverage this free course as part of their continuous professional development journey, complementing the Hub’s existing educational resources and programs.

“This initiative perfectly complements our commitment to providing accessible, high-quality tech education for women at all career stages,” says Maria Rodriguez, “We encourage all our members to take advantage of this opportunity to enhance their AI literacy and connect with industry leaders.”

Expert Instruction from Industry Leaders

The program features an impressive roster of instructors, including Amanda Nguyen (Product Manager, Search & AI for Copilot), Anna Cejudo (Co-CEO and Co-founder), Anna Ogan (Program Manager), and Emma Reid (Director Western EU). Fiona Carney, COO at Microsoft EMEA, is also associated with the initiative.

“Your AI journey starts now,” the program materials state, inviting women to “join a community of women shaping the future.”

Scholarship Opportunities for Continued Growth

Beyond the initial free course, the program offers an additional incentive for participants: the chance to earn one of 150 scholarships for a three-month online program in AI & Innovation. These scholarships, provided by Founderz and Microsoft, will be awarded to participants who excel in the course’s final challenge.
WIT Hub members who receive these scholarships will also gain access to the Hub’s advanced project incubator program, providing additional support for implementing AI projects in their workplaces or entrepreneurial ventures.

Implications for Closing the Gender Gap

Dr. Maria Chen, Professor of Computer Science at MIT and unaffiliated with the program, notes that initiatives like “AI Skills 4 Women” are crucial for addressing systemic barriers. “When women see other women succeeding in AI, it creates a powerful ripple effect. These targeted educational opportunities are essential for bringing more diverse voices into a field that’s shaping our future,” Chen explains.

For young girls considering STEM careers, programs specifically designed for women can provide both skills and community. Research by the American Association of University Women suggests that female-focused STEM initiatives can significantly increase confidence and persistence in technical fields.

Registration for the “AI Skills 4 Women” program is now open, with content becoming available on March 8th, 2025. Interested participants can sign up through the enrollment link.

How to Participate

1. Enroll today for FREE at the official registration page
2. Content unlocks on March 8th, 2025
3. Complete the three-hour course at your own pace
4. Submit your final challenge for scholarship consideration
5. Receive your Microsoft Achievement Badge upon completion

WIT Hub members should log in to their accounts before registering to ensure they receive all member benefits associated with this program.

The Digital Almaty 2025 Forum, held from January 31 to February 1, solidified its position as Central Asia’s premier platform for technological innovation, attracting over 40,000 attendees and global leaders to discuss AI’s transformative role in industry and society[2][13][15]. Among its standout sessions was the panel “Gender-Biased AI: Technologies for a New Era,” organized by the Women in Tech Kazakhstan Chapter, which tackled systemic gender biases in artificial intelligence and charted pathways toward inclusive innovation.

Session Highlights: Unmasking AI’s Gender Challenges

Moderated by Assem Bolatzhan (Advisor to Kazakhstan’s Minister of Digital Development and Chapter Director of Women in Tech Kazakhstan), the panel featured global experts, including Ayumi Moore Aoki (Founder & CEO of Women in Tech Global) and Alessandra Sala (Shutterstock’s Sr. Director of AI), who dissected critical issues:

1. Embedded Stereotypes in Language Models
– Large language models like GPT-3 perpetuate historical biases, associating women with caregiving roles (e.g., “nurse” or “teacher”) and men with leadership or technical positions.
– A 2017 Science study revealed algorithms linking “women” to “family” and “men” to “career,” reflecting skewed training data from internet texts.

2. The Voice Assistant Paradox
– Voice assistants like Siri and Alexa predominantly use female voices, reinforcing stereotypes of women as submissive helpers. A 2019 UNESCO report criticized this trend, noting how phrases like “I didn’t understand” in a female voice perpetuate harmful norms.

3. Workforce Disparities
– Only 22% of AI professionals are women (World Economic Forum, 2021), while women constitute just **35% of AI tool users**, highlighting exclusion in both development and adoption.

4. Risks of Biased Data
– University of Washington researchers found 50% of AI outputs reinforce gender stereotypes, such as linking “doctor” to men and “nurse” to women.

Pathways to Equity: Solutions in Action

Panelists emphasized actionable strategies to counter bias:
– Feminist Data Set Project: OpenAI and Google now train models on balanced datasets, reducing bias by ~40%[1].
– Policy Advocacy: Kazakhstan’s upcoming AI regulatory bill and National AI Development Strategy aim to institutionalize inclusivity[2][13].
– Education & Mentorship: The Women in Tech Kazakhstan Chapter, launched in 2024, is bridging gaps through skill-building programs and global networking.

Why This Matters
As Ayumi Moore Aoki noted, “Inclusive AI isn’t just ethical—it’s economically imperative.” With AI projected to add $20 trillion to the global GDP by 2030], diverse perspectives are critical to ensuring technologies serve all communities equitably.

Join the Movement
The session underscored Women in Tech Global’s mission to empower 5 million women in STEAM by 2030. From Kazakhstan’s local initiatives to global advocacy, the fight against gender-biased AI requires collective action.

Get involved
Explore mentorship opportunities, support gender-balanced AI projects, or join our upcoming Global Summit in Osaka 2025. Together, we can shape a future where technology reflects the diversity of the world it serves.