Encouraging women's participation in the tech sector is crucial today. To address this challenge, the South African entrepreneur is dedicating herself to training women in tech skills.

Zandile Mkwanazi (photo) is a South African entrepreneur and advocate dedicated to promoting women in technology. She is the founder and CEO of GirlCode Group, a non-profit organization aimed at empowering women through technology.

Founded in 2014 as a hackathon, the social enterprise GirlCode has set an ambitious mission to train 10 million women and girls in tech skills by 2030. The goal is to reduce inequalities and bridge the gender gap in the tech sector. So far, over 76,000 female students have benefited from GirlCode’s programs.

In 2020, Zandile Mkwanazi also founded GirlCode Talent, a startup where she serves as CEO. The company leverages artificial intelligence to connect women with employers, providing a dedicated platform for women’s employment in tech across Africa. GirlCode Talent’s mission is to facilitate access to professional opportunities for women while helping companies attract, develop, and retain female talent.

Zandile Mkwanazi holds a bachelor’s degree in computational and applied mathematics, which she earned in 2011 from the University of Witwatersrand. In 2020, she participated in a social entrepreneurship program at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) in South Africa.

Her commitment and achievements have earned her numerous accolades. In 2020, she was ranked among the Mail & Guardian’s top 200 young South Africans. In 2021, she was named Social Entrepreneur of the Year at the Santam Woman of the Future Awards. In 2023, she was recognized as one of the ten most influential women by telecommunications operator Telkom and won the Digital Woman of the Year award at the GovTech Awards.

Melchior Koba