Combining The Power of Tech to Empower Life

Organisations should leverage technology to create jobs and opportunities for the underserved in the community, Laura Chite Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer at StepWise says.

Laura, who spoke at the CIO 100 Symposium and Awards on Combining The Power of Tech to Empower Life highlighted the need to focus more on women and people with disabilities (PWDs).

“We should look for ways to grow more women and PWDs in technology and IT leadership. Technology allows anybody to work from anywhere and that means that PWDs don’t have to move from point A to B to access the workplace. From wherever they are, they can deliver services,” she said.

Laura also called on the positive portrayal of women and PWDs in media, advertising, and entertainment to end stigmatization. At the same time, she asked the underserved groups to brand themselves well for the job market.

“How do we portray ourselves? Is it in a positive way? Do people want to hire us? Do we proudly talk about our achievements? These are things we need to think about,” she said.

StepWise, a Company based in Austin Texas and has an office in Kenya scopes, recruits and trains the underserved in the community. They offer several services from a technology perspective including software development, Business process outsourcing services and technology training.

According to United Nations statistics, there are currently over 600 million PWDs throughout the world; 400 million live in developing countries and 80 million in Africa. Often overlooked, PWDs could help narrow the demand for IT talent in Africa when given the right training, resources and working environment.