ESTDEV joins European joint initiative to strengthen women's leadership in the ICT sector

The cooperation is part of a broader European Union joint initiative (Team Europe Initiative), which includes Estonia, France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, and Latvia, and is co-financed by the European Union. This initiative will work globally across 16 countries to increase the participation of women and girls in society by improving their digital skills. 

Though improvements are generally made year over year, no country has achieved true gender equality. However, Estonia has made significant strides in improving the representation of women in ICT and STEM in the past decade. According to the European Institute for Gender Equality, in 2025, women made up 28% of the ICT workforce and two out of every five STEM graduates were women. Both these figures are better than the EU average. 

Furthermore, Estonia's value lies not only in the mechanics of a "digital state" but in the whole human-centric digital transformation process. Sharing this expertise by joining the Team Europe initiative is a logical step, as ESTDEV already has experience in supporting women in Ukraine through the development of IT education and popularising science and technology among girls in Kenya. 

ESTDEV's activities will focus on increasing the representation of women and girls in the ICT sector across five countries (Ukraine, Moldova, Kenya, Uganda and Kosovo), especially in leadership positions in both the public and private sectors. The aim is to address the root causes of underrepresentation, such as the low participation of women and girls in STEM education, which limits their entry into the technology sector. 

“Ukraine, Moldova and Kosovo are countries where the development of digital technology is closely linked to broader societal change, and this change is sustainable only if it is inclusive. We see that greater participation of women in the ICT sector is not just a matter of equality, but a matter of national development. Estonia has a long-standing cooperation with these countries, and we know that the most effective way to support digital change is to invest in people – especially women and girls, who have the potential to contribute to the development of the ICT sector now and in the future,” said Margus Gering, ESTDEV’s regional head for Europe. 

"Like education, digitalisation is a great equaliser, providing opportunities for girls and women to participate equally in education and entrepreneurship. At a time when Africa is undergoing major digitalisation, this project will help women acquire the necessary digital skills," said Daniel Schaer, Estonia’s ambassador to Kenya and South Africa. 

ESTDEV's activities will focus on promoting the sharing of women's experiences in the public sector. To this end, study visits will be organised to Estonia for women in upper- and mid-level management from five countries, where they will participate in job shadowing and mentoring programmes. These visits will focus on the practical experiences of Estonian women as leaders implementing digital transformation, offering participants the opportunity to learn directly from practitioners and build long-term professional networks. 

The project supports the development of systematic, sustainable career guidance models that better link education, the labour market and digital development in the partner countries. The project also focuses on fostering the next generation. To this end, career guidance services will be offered to girls and women to support their movement into jobs in the ICT sector. 

"In order for more women to enter the ICT sector and move on to leadership positions, the entire journey must be addressed – from their first exposure to technology to informed career choices. Career guidance and visible role models play a key role here," said Kristi Kulu, ESTDEV’s programme manager for Education. 

The project lays the foundation for improved career guidance support systems and more inclusive and equitable digital development in the partner countries. Estonia's goal is to share knowledge and create practical, adaptable solutions together with partner countries. Increasing the involvement of women in digital development will strengthen the capacity of the public sector as a whole. 

The budget of the joint initiative is over 15 million euros, of which ESTDEV is responsible for implementing approximately 3.1 million. The project will run until the end of August 2028. 

The “Women Leadership in the Public Leadership” project is co-funded by the European Union, France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Latvia and Estonia and implemented by the German Development Cooperation Agency GIZ, Expertise France, ESTDEV, Enabel, FIAP and CFCA.  

Estonian represantitves at the launch of the Team Europe Initiative. Photo: ESTDEV.