Author: Kenny Owen, Tech4Pride Program Lead, CHEVS
As the world wraps up Women’s Month, it’s imperative to move beyond performative recognition and into tangible action. The global economy thrives on the labour, innovation, and resilience of women, yet, for queer womxn, the road to economic inclusion remains steeply uphill.
We are moving rapidly into a polarised world, where every issue confronting human existence is met with stark opposition; people are either for or against it. Yet, there is one thing that unites us all, the pursuit of a strong economy.
However, a strong economy needs women, not just women; all women, including LBTI women and gender-expansive persons, whose economic disenfranchisement is both a human rights issue and a critical gap in economic development.
Our goal with Tech4Pride and our broader economic justice programming is to actively close the gap, ensuring that queer womxn across West Africa have the tools to not only participate in the economy but redefine it through our work in digital skills training, entrepreneurship support and economic opportunities.
Women are the key to a thriving economy; according to a McKinsey report, advancing gender equality could add $12 trillion to global GDP by 2025. However, this economic potential remains incomplete when queer womxn are systematically locked out.
According to a World Bank report, LGBTQI+ people are more likely to be unemployed or underemployed, and queer womxn face additional structural barriers, including workplace discrimination, lack of inheritance rights, and restricted access to credit.
In West Africa, where women only own 25 to 30% of businesses, queer womxn experience an even deeper form of economic exclusion. Many of them cannot access capital, are pushed into informal and unstable work, and lack the networking opportunities critical to career growth. AfDB data
This is not just social injustice; it’s an economic inefficiency that stalls national and regional development.
Tech4Pride is Creating Economic Pathways for Queer Womxn
The exclusion of queer womxn from economic opportunities doesn’t just harm individuals; it slows down economic progress. Through our Tech4Pride initiative at CHEVS, we see this challenge clearly and are actively building pathways to economic security for queer womxn. Our approach is simple but transformative:
- Digital skills as an economic equaliser: We equip queer womxn with market-relevant digital skills, ensuring they can access remote and global job opportunities, even in hostile environments.
- Entrepreneurship and access to capital: CHEVS invests in entrepreneurial training and financial access programs, building alternative funding pipelines for queer-led businesses.
- A community-based economic model: Our approach is community-driven, building an ecosystem of empowered queer professionals who support and grow together.
Tech4Pride Mixer, November 2024
The Future: A Gender-Inclusive, Queer-Inclusive Economy
A truly inclusive economy must address these disparities head-on. Policymakers, investors, and private sector leaders need to commit to:
- Targeted Financial Inclusion: Developing funding models that recognise queer women’s economic needs, including microloans, venture capital, and alternative credit systems.
- Workplace protection and anti-discrimination laws: Ensuring safe and inclusive work environments.
- Support for queer womxn entrepreneurs: Investing in accelerator programs, mentorship, and access to international markets.
Women’s Month should not just be about celebration; it should be a call to action. Through our Tech4Pride initiative at CHEVS, we are not waiting for inclusion; we are building our own systems.
We are ensuring that queer womxn in Africa don't just survive but thrive, contributing fully to the economy and creating generational wealth that reshapes the future.
A strong economy needs women. And that means all women, including the ones the world has tried to ignore for far too long. It’s time to change that.
About the Author
Kenny Owen leads the Tech4Pride initiative at CHEVS. With over six years of experience in financial technology for low-income individuals, digital health in fragile contexts, and responsible technology adoption, his work has focused on creating inclusive digital pathways for minorities.
