Mo Malele is the CEO and co-founder of Shopapolitan, a tech start-up that aims to digitise informal economies across Africa by making innovative e-commerce technology affordable and accessible to informal traders.
When the digital divide shrinks, gender inequality is lessened
With a background in finance, marketing and events and a digital poetry album just short of one million streams globally, Mo Malele is a multifaceted woman with seemingly paradoxical passions. But, she says standing at the intersection of the arts and technology has taught her that intersectionality matters. “Nothing can be viewed in isolation,” she says. “The world is far too complex and far too connected for that, and even the different roles I play in different situations cannot be viewed in isolation of each other.”
Malele is the CEO and co-founder of Shopapolitan, a tech start-up with an ambitious goal: to digitalise informal economies across Africa by making innovative e-commerce technology affordable and accessible to informal traders, and to build the leading Afrocentric e-commerce platform globally. “In doing so, we are creating a platform that will serve African merchants and enable access to new markets, while customers across the globe can explore a world of unique, Afrocentric wonders.”
Her belief in the interconnectedness of it all and the importance of approaching humans as multifaceted, layered beings plays an important part in how she shows up as an entrepreneur and as a business leader. She realised early in her journey with Shopapolitan that gender inequality, the poverty gap and the digital divide cannot be treated as unrelated or separate, and that a solution that narrows one gap will likely impact all.
Intersectional and connected
She says the women in the communities that Shopapolitan operates in cannot be viewed through a single lens; they are women with all the associated social and economic vulnerabilities that comes with that, but they are also caregivers, mothers, creatives and entrepreneurs who wear different hats and operate in a number of different contexts. “That’s what intersectionality is at the end of the day,” she explains. “We are layered and complex humans, and our identities, experience and overall truth are influenced by a number of sub-identities that contribute to who we are as whole people.”
It’s in understanding how these identities play out where the overlaps of gender, poverty and digital and financial literacy come into play, and it’s in addressing this intersectionality where the sweet spot for solutions-driven engagement lies. “Because they are so interconnected, a solution that addresses one of these problems can improve the others.”
But, she cautions, for the same reason this can also work in the opposite direction: “Technology can be a double-edged sword, and with every advancement and every change, we need to ensure that we are not leaving more people behind. The Covid pandemic showed us that technology genuinely has the ability to improve lives, but the further it advances, the more inaccessible it gets to those who really need to see the incremental effects of those changes in their lives.”
Adding value through a person-centred lens
This, she says, is why it is vital to never forget the human in the technology, or the human position in the value chain: “This is especially true in Africa; we are a continent that is largely a labour market, where technology is something everyone is scared of, including our governments. People often equate technology and the use of technology with the loss of jobs. But there will always be a need for human creativity, human learning, human input, human adaptability, human-ness in everything that we do.
“Technology might change the work, but it doesn’t change the fact that we have a role in the work that needs to be done. Especially in the era of AI and machine learning, we cannot deny that there still needs to be a human at some point in our considerations, the value chain and in what the technology is going to deliver.”
She believes that when the focus is on human value, AI can be a powerful tool. “We are currently working on using AI to automate the processes in identifying merchants and vetting them according to our structures, to onboard them, and incorporate and leverage data to connect buyers and sellers; ultimately, we aim to leverage AI as a job creation tool,” she says.
Also of critical importance is the element of language. “South Africa is particularly complex, in that we have 11 official languages, and Africa as a continent is extremely diverse,” she says. “Even countries that only have one or two official languages, there may be 50 indigenous languages or dialects, and this complicates communication and trade.” This is one of the areas where she believes AI can be leveraged. “We hope to be able to incorporate it into our platform to translate the services into all our official languages, and those beyond our borders. That is one of its capabilities that blows my mind.”
Access is not enough
Shopapolitan supports and empowers women-owned and female-led businesses through its e-commerce platform, but, as Malele points out, it is not enough to simply grant access. “Everyone ‘can access’ the internet because the internet is there to be accessed,” she says. The internet is not a closed system with specific criteria for exclusion. “The fact is that the barriers to access come from lack of knowledge, and of education, infrastructure and devices; even just the cost of data is limiting. We need to stop this blanket approach of talking about access, and start talking about meaningful access.”
And that, she says, is at the core of Shopapolitan: “When we talk about gender equality and empowering the women who make up the majority of our users, we understand the realities, challenges and nuances that working women face. We understand that they have responsibilities within the existing ecosystems of their households, their families and their communities, and these are responsibilities that need to be honoured while growing and sustaining a business. This is so often overlooked; the way you engage with people and their contexts within your commercial ecosystem can be an empowering or disempowering mechanism in its own right.”
Bridging one gap narrows others
The challenges that women face as informal traders or township entrepreneurs must also be taken into consideration. “The three main challenges that our merchants face when leveraging technology for the betterment of their lives are: a lack of education about technology, technological solutions and how to implement them in business operations; the next is a lack of infrastructure and devices to support this implementation; and the last one is capital outlay, because at the end of the day it actually costs money to get online and run a digital or e-commerce presence.”
As with all things, she says, these issues are connected: “We set out with helping to bridge the digital divide in mind, but know that if we alleviate infrastructure challenges, address education and knowledge gaps and aid in investment capital, it not just the digital divide that shrinks; gender inequality is lessened and the poverty gap begins to close too. Where we increase digital access, we aid education and empowerment beyond just the commercial ecosystem. When we equip women with digital literacy and digital tools, we’re able to impact society at a much faster rate and on a much larger scale than we can even imagine.”
This responsibility, she says, rests on everyone. “ Unemployment is everyone’s problem; it impacts the employed as well as the unemployed, and until we can all pull together to address the factors that lead to unemployment and the resulting poverty, we will all continue to be impacted by the effects.”
Intentional action for a better tomorrow
The focus should be on creating jobs: “One way to do that is by supporting local businesses and contributing towards an environment that is conducive to their success; not just starting them, but maintaining and sustaining that success. Be intentional about your support, because the role of women in the economy and to the wellbeing of society is undeniably important. Despite this, they are less likely to find employment in the formal sector, and even when they do, are more at risk of losing their jobs during times of economic turndown. When the economy turns up again, women are less likely to be rehired. This is the reality that we need to be conscious of when we talk about intentional action.”
This is what she means when she says that South Africa needs to build an ecosystem of inclusion and empowerment. “Technology is a critical part of that ecosystem, for sure, but it is just one part of it. Technology is not the ecosystem.”
— Jamaine Krige
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DigitALL: Technology and innovation for gender equality
Technology has the potential to solve society’s most pressing challenges and make the world a better place, but its power cannot be fully realised if half of the world’s population is excluded from the conversation. Technological advancements are outpacing the progress being made towards gender equality, and both existing and emerging systems perpetuate bias, inequality and violence in the lives of girls and women.
Digital literacy and technological access can facilitate women’s inclusion in the economy, and aid in poverty alleviation and economic growth.
International Women’s Day is observed on 8 March annually, and this year the theme of “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality” highlights the importance of not just including, but empowering women and girls in digital spaces.
Women and girls have just as much right to access the digital world and prosper in it as men and boys, and when they are excluded from these spaces everyone suffers. This is according to Sima Bahous, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, who says International Women’s Day is an opportunity to honour, celebrate and support the individuals, activists and organisations working tirelessly to level the playing field and hold open the door to ensure that no one is left behind.
In South Africa, the digital divide disproportionately affects women and girls. According to a report by Women in Tech ZA, only 23% of South Africa’s tech workforce is made up of women. This underrepresentation is particularly acute in leadership positions, where women make up just 5% of CEOs and 22% of executive management.
Technology has a critical role to play in advancing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially when it comes to achieving gender equality. Digital platforms can improve reporting of gender-based violence, facilitate access to resources for sexual and reproductive health, create spaces for education and learning and promote the economic empowerment of women through remote work opportunities and online marketplaces.
Gender equality is a distinct goal to be achieved, but Bahous says it is also an important factor in ensuring that the other 16 global goals are met by 2030: “SDG 5 – Gender Equality – is at the heart of the 2030 agenda; it is the powerful multiplier, the smart investment and the prerequisite to get the Sustainable Development Goals as a whole back on track. Technology and innovation are game changers in this.”
Technology is critical for ensuring inclusive, equitable and accessible education for all, but this means women and girls must have access to the tools and knowledge to fully participate in digital learning spaces. Digital literacy and technological access can facilitate women’s inclusion in the economy, and aid in poverty alleviation and economic growth.
Permeating through every aspect of society and industry, technology holds the promise of solutions in every sphere of life — from reducing carbon emissions and climate change to increasing access to healthcare, sanitation and clean drinking water. By bridging the digital divide, the gender gap and poverty gap also begin to narrow. The technologies of today have the potential to change the world of tomorrow for the better, but for this to be realised, all members of society must have a seat at the table. If the exclusion continues, a significant portion of the population will be left behind, and their unique insights, contributions and solutions will be lost. “We must not let them [women and girls] face a new kind of discrimination and enter a new kind of poverty,” Bahous warns.
It is also not enough to hold open the door to a room that is on fire: “Last year there were 259 million more men than women using the internet — and it was not a safe space [for women].” Issues like online harassment are rife; one survey of women journalists from 125 countries found that 73% had experienced online violence in the course of their work. “We have both to end the gaps and detoxify the online world for those entering it,” Bohaus stresses.
She says this will require a sharp rise in accountability for technology outcomes and a strong and effective approach to online violence, including safeguards and expanded legal frameworks to address unregulated behaviours and standards in digital spaces.
And who better to drive policy, solutions and inclusive implementation to the problems women space in online spaces than the very women being most affected? “It will take determined measures to provide the necessary skills and learning, especially in the STEM subjects, that will pave the way to the leadership of women and girls as technology creators, promoters and decision-makers; to shape a future where technology contributes to transforming social norms, amplifying women’s voices, pushing forward against online harassment, preventing the perpetuation of algorithmic biases, and distributing the benefits of digitalisation as the great equaliser to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.”
Equality, Bohaus says, is the equal enjoyment of the fruits of technology and innovation, without fear of violence or abuse of any sort: “Women and girls must be able to engage, create, learn and work, safely and productively, either online or offline, making the most of all the opportunities in every sphere of life and at every stage of it, in education, in the economy, in society and in politics.”
— Jamaine Krige