Conference discusses women’s empowerment in tech advancement

KUWAIT: Kuwait Women Techmakers Group (WTM) and the Arab Women In Computing (ArabWIC) organization prepare to organize a special conference on March 8, 2018, which also marks the International Women’s Day. The conference will be held at Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST) and mainly sponsored by Gulf Bank.

Speaking on the occasion, Zainab Al-Me’raj, ArabWIC CEO and WTM leader in Kuwait, said that the group aims at empowering women through developing their technological skills so that they can contribute to boosting technological advancement in Kuwait. This is done by providing training courses and scholarships in addition to attending Google-supported conferences and workshops on Android applications, Google Chrome, Google Drive, Google Cloud computing systems and other technologies, she added.

Me’raj further noted that the conference aims at spotlighting the significance of providing leading positions for women with technological skills. She also mentioned the cooperation with ArabWIC Vice President Dr Fatima Bojarwah in boosting Arab women’s skills and investing in their potentials.

The conference is due to include two symposiums about women and computing in Kuwait, Me’raj added. “The first one will be titled ‘Women in Computing and Technology Working Environments,’ and the second will be titled ‘Suitable Technological Environment for Starting Tech Companies in Kuwait,’” she elaborated, adding that participants would also take part in a ‘Hackathon’ competition which involves solving a social problem within 12 hours.

Meanwhile, WTM organizer Arwa Al-Jasser stressed that the conference presents a wonderful opportunity for both tech amateurs and professional entrepreneurs, programmers and students to exchange expertise. Also speaking on the occasion, Dr Bojarwah invited all concerned public and private sector institutions to attend the conference and take part in the Hackathon.