Brilliance overtakes beauty as Ms Geek Africa spotlights tech genius

via https://www.theguardian.com

Long noted for its progressive stance on equality, Rwanda is the birthplace of a contest that champions female tech wizards

After years of women in evening gowns vying for the title of national beauty queen, glamour is giving way to geekery in Rwanda.

A group of female tech entrepreneurs decided it was time to ditch Miss Rwanda for a different kind of competition, one that judged women on brilliance rather than beauty. It was time for Ms Geek.

The first Ms Geek Rwanda was crowned in 2014, and the competition has since expanded to include other African countries under the unifying banner of Ms Geek Africa. The event, open to girls and women aged 13 to 25, encourages contestants to use technology to solve everyday problems in their communities. The finalists receive business training and the winner is awarded financial backing to help realise her idea.

This year’s Ms Geek Africa is Salissou Hassane Latifa, 21, from Niger. Her winning design is an app that helps communication between people caring …

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