Over the past nine years, she has been a tireless advocate for gender equality in technology and the digital world. Her leadership position in the Senegalese public sector is also helping her reach her goals.  

 Bitilokho Ndiaye (photo) is a Senegalese sociologist. She is, since 2020,  the Director of Promotion of the Digital Economy and Partnership at the Senegalese Ministry of Digital Economy. Before her appointment to that post, she already had years of experience in the local  IT ecosystem, in the gender dimension notably. 

Between 2009 and 2020, she was the gender technical advisor for the Ministry of Communication. For the sociologist, women should have a strong presence in the local digital sector for enhanced economic growth in Senegal.  

"Women represent 51% of the population in Senegal. They will have a positive economic impact if they are taught how to use the internet as a tool. [...] Particularly, for the large majority of craftswomen and those who create value in remote areas, digital technology would be an effective way to reach more buyers and increase sales, therefore impacting the national economy,” she told Inspire Afrika. 

Between 2007 and 2009, she was the communication manager of the Ministry of Information and Institutional Relations.  She is also overseeing, since 2013, a project (“Gender and Technology”) that aims to “integrate the gender dimension into IT programs and boost women’s presence in leadership positions.” 

In 2016, she founded the Association of Senegalese Women in the ICT/Digital Sector (FESTIC), which aims to accelerate digital transformation in Senegal by capitalizing on the female population. In 2018, as the president of FESTIC, she launched “maison des femmes entrepreneures,” a training center equipping women entrepreneurs with digital skills. 

Melchior Koba