Connecting Africa Podcast: S1 Ep. 7 – Coding for diversity

Baratang Miya, founder and CEO of GirlHYPE, joins the podcast to talk about diversity and inclusion in tech and shares her fascinating and unique story with us.

Paula Gilbert, Editor

November 16, 2021

31 Min Listen

In this week's episode, the team talks about diversity and inclusion in tech with guest Baratang Miya, founder and CEO of GirlHYPE, who has been running a coding school for underprivileged girls and young women in South Africa for almost two decades.

Miya explained how GirlHYPE came to be and all the twists and turns and career changes she had along the way.

In one of the most candid interviews we have done so far, she shared her story of growing up in Apartheid South Africa and facing discrimination when it came to tertiary education because she was pregnant.

It was not an easy road, but she started a business, saved money and eventually made her way to university in the late 90s where she thrived but also struggled to balance her studies and childcare.

A unique opportunity introduced her to the world of computer science when she signed her three-year-old son up to play Minecraft for a university research study. Her eyes were opened to a new world and it sparked a passion to help underprivileged people gain the skills and knowledge that they need to begin a career in tech.

"I've always been driven by diversity and inclusion and I know that if you are on the other side you are very disempowered. I succeeded because there was always someone to open the door for me … but I had to learn to use my power," she said.

Diversity and inclusion have driven everything she does and led to her starting GirlHYPE in 2003 with a single purpose – to empower marginalized women and girls to build a long and lasting career in the tech industry.

Her story led to a discussion about seizing opportunities when they come your way and embracing mentors of all kinds. However, Miya also shared how she learned to assimilate to situations and take on the characteristics of successful men in order to become successful, but how it can be a double-edged sword that can push other women away from an industry seen as non-inclusive and unwelcoming.

Finally, the team spoke about mentorship and how there are not enough formal mentorship programs for women in tech, but how things are also changing and improving for women in this space.

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Two more episodes are on the way for this series covering the topics of tech in education and Africa's digital divide with hosts Paula Gilbert, Tobi Lafinhan and Tien Fu.

You can find the podcast on Apple Podcasts; Spotify; Google Podcasts or find other podcast platform options on our main page on Anchor.

You can also find the hosts online here:

Paula Gilbert (@paulajgilbert)

Tobi Lafinhan (@TobiLafinhan)

Tien Fu (@tienchifu)

— Paula Gilbert, Editor, Connecting Africa

About the Author

Paula Gilbert

Editor, Connecting Africa

Paula has been the Editor of Connecting Africa since June 2019 and has been reporting on key developments in Africa's telecoms and ICT sectors for most of her journalistic career.

The award-winning South Africa-based journalist previously worked as a producer and reporter for business television channels Bloomberg TV Africa and CNBC Africa, was the telecoms editor at online publication ITWeb, and started her career in radio news. She has an Honors degree in Journalism from Rhodes University.

Paula was recognized by Empower Africa as one of 35 trailblazers who shaped Africa's tech landscape in 2023 and won the Excellence in ICT Journalism category at the MTN Women in ICT Awards in 2017.

Travel is always on Paula's mind, she has visited 40 countries so far and is currently researching her next adventure.

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