Tech scholarships for women in Africa

• For the first time, IU International University of Applied Sciences is awarding full scholarships for technology-oriented online studies programmes to women in Africa.
• With its scholarship programme, the University supports talented women as they embark on a career in technology.
• The selected scholarship recipients aim to strengthen their communities with IT, data science and artificial intelligence.

Erfurt, May 28, 2021 - For the first time, IU International University of Applied Sciences has awarded full scholarships to women in Africa for technology-oriented degree programmes. As part of the scholarship programme, eleven women will be able to start online studies programmes in IT, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence free of charge. "With our commitment, we want to sustainably increase the number of women in IT, worldwide," says Prof. Dr. Alexandra Wuttig, Chancellor of IU International University of Applied Sciences. "New technologies can be the key to a better and fairer society. That's all the more reason why we need to make sure we're empowering women everywhere."

The scholarship recipients come from Algeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco and Uganda. In these countries, as in many other places, well-educated women in the tech industry are rare. "As women working in all-male teams, we can make our voices heard. We should seize this opportunity," says Daisie Gladys, a scholarship holder from Ghana. All eleven women are united not only by their enthusiasm for IT, but also by their desire to strengthen their communities with the knowledge they have gained. AI Margis Zelalem Tarekegn from Ethiopia says, "It's my biggest dream to study Data Science so I can help my country become a developed country."

With the scholarship programme, IU International University of Applied Sciences has already supported 100 women in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in their start into a technical career since 2019. The new scholarships have now been awarded for the first time to women in Africa who are passionate about technology. A nomination committee had approached potential female candidates and viewed their application videos. Prof. Dr. Alexandra Wuttig and Dr. David Rempel drew up the final list. Eleven women were selected who are committed volunteers, have excellent grades and could not have afforded to study. Scholarship recipients in other departments are already studying at IU International University of Applied Sciences, including those from developing countries: In 2020, there were more than 1,500 such students. With this support, the University underlines its claim to facilitate access to education worldwide.

The eleven scholarship recipients are:

- Esther Akhule (Kenya)

- Ikram Belkhiri (Algeria)

- Maryem Bamou (Morocco)

- Oumayma Es-Saydy (Morocco)

- Daisie Gladys (Ghana)

- Judith Nalukwago (Uganda)

- Antwiwaa Oppong (Ghana)

- Nadia Rania Sahraoui (Algeria)

- Irene Sande (Uganda)

- Chaltu Abera Sufa (Ethiopia)

- AI Margis Zelalem Tarekegn (Ethiopia)

All members of the Nominating Committee:

- Prof. Dr. Gabriel Dwomoh (Ghana)

- Eddie Kayiira (Uganda/Germany)

- Mohamed Medani (Algeria)

- Dr. Tewodros Mulugata (Ethiopia)

- Dr. Charles Mulli (Kenya)

ABOUT IU INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES

With over 75,000 students, IU International University of Applied Sciences (IU) is the largest university in Germany. The private, state-recognized educational institution brings together more than 200 Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes under its roof, which are offered in German or English. Students can choose between on-campus study, dual study, distance learning and flexible combination models and thus shape their studies in a self-determined way. IU began operations in 2000 and is now represented in 28 German cities. It cooperates with over 10,000 companies and actively supports them in employee development. Its partners include Motel One, VW Financial Services and Deutsche Bahn. Further information at: www.iu.de