Innovation for Women in Africa AFD Digital Challenge 2018 for startups promoting gender equality (85 000€ prize)

CONTEXT

Equality between women and men is a central featureof the french Five-Year Plan, and constitutes a strategic focus for the AFD. On this basis, AFD is committed to ensuring that 50% of its annual commitments are dedicated to gender equality: Its interventions are structured around five major issues:

1. Ensuring access to basic services;
2. Combating violence against women
3. Guaranteeing access to training and employment opportunities;
4. Ensuring women’s participation in decision-making and project governance;
5. Only in the context of CSO projects: Change the representations that underpin gender inequalities.

GOAL

Digital technology at the service of equality between women and men

The digital transition is an opportunity for the development of services for social inclusion, and is an accelerator for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Equality between women and men and the empowerment of women are at the heart of the international agenda for sustainable development.

The third edition of the AFD Digital Challenge is dedicated to reduce inequalities between men and women on the African continent. The competition is aimed at start-ups which offer innovative services that promote gender equality in Africa.

Requirements:

ligible projects for the AFD Digital Challenge are those that take into account the specific constraints and issues of women, and facilitate the access to:

• education, vocational training, mentoring and tutoring services.
• health services (including sexual health and reproduction),
• employment and professional opportunities, including women’s participation in sectors that traditionally employ men,
• financial services and other markets
• information about rights and access to judicial services
• mobility and transport

Will also be considered projects that contribute to:

• the deconstruction of gender stereotypes (eg media)
• the fight against gender-based violence
• the development of practices that do not discriminate against women (eg in the professional world, at school, etc.).

The challenge will be open to all entrepreneurs who have developed innovative solutions for Africa on this topic.