A new technological divide threatens to leave young African women behind, but this time the barrier is not about learning to code. According to Zandile Mkwanazi, founder and chief executive of GirlCode, the rapid rise of artificial intelligence is creating a fresh gap measured not by programming ss but by who can access and use AI tools in the first place.
Mkwanazi issued the warning ahead of GirlCode’s 2026 Pan-African Hackathon, an event designed to bring together young women technologists from across the continent. Her concern reflects a growing anxiety among digital inclusion advocates that AI, despite its promise to democratize technology, may instead deepen existing inequalities. While previous efforts focused on teaching coding ss to bridge the gender gap in technology, the AI revolution introduces new prerequisites: reliable internet connectivity, modern devices capable of running AI applications, and the digital literacy to navigate these sophisticated tools.
GirlCode has spent years working to empower young African women through technology education, building a network of learners and professionals across multiple countries. The organization emerged from recognition that women remain severely underrepresented in African tech sectors, a pattern that limits both individual opportunity and broader economic development. Mkwanazi’s latest concerns suggest that without deliberate intervention, the AI era could reinforce rather than eliminate these disparities.
Access to artificial intelligence tools requires more than just enthusiasm or aptitude. Users need consistent electricity, sufficient bandwidth to run cloud based applications, and often subscription fees that remain out of reach for many across the continent. These infrastructural and economic barriers compound the educational challenges, creating multiple layers of exclusion. Even in urban centers where connectivity has improved, cost remains a significant obstacle for students and young professionals trying to build ss in an increasingly AI driven job market.
The stakes extend beyond individual careers. Countries that fail to ensure broad based AI literacy risk falling further behind in a global economy where artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming central to everything from agriculture to healthcare, finance to education. When women constitute half the population yet lack equal access to transformative technologies, entire nations lose the benefits of their potential contributions and innovations. Mkwanazi’s warning arrives at a moment when African governments and technology companies are making competing claims about AI readiness and digital transformation.
GirlCode’s upcoming hackathon represents one response to these challenges, creating space for young women to gain hands on experience with emerging technologies. Whether such initiatives can scale sufficiently to address continent wide access gaps remains an open question. Mkwanazi’s call for attention to this emerging divide suggests that the next phase of digital inclusion will require not just education programs but fundamental investments in infrastructure, affordability, and equitable access to the tools shaping the future of work.
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