Aicha Ech Charqia

A Moroccan tech entrepreneur promoting women in tech through her startup and community initiatives.

Aicha Ech Charqia is a Moroccan entrepreneur and founder of Fahrr, a platform connecting women with tech employers and training opportunities. Born in 1989, she grew up in a conservative region of Morocco but pursued a degree in computer science at the National School of Applied Sciences in Rabat. Frustrated by the lack of opportunities for women in technology, she launched Fahrr in 2016 to bridge the gender gap in STEM fields.

Fahrr’s innovative approach includes online courses, mentorship programs, and partnerships with global companies like Microsoft and Google. Over 15,000 Moroccan women have accessed tech jobs or training through the platform, challenging cultural norms that limit women’s professional roles. Charqia’s work has earned recognition from organizations such as the World Economic Forum, which named her a Young Global Leader in 2022.

Beyond her startup, Charqia advocates for policy changes to improve girls’ access to education in rural areas. She collaborates with NGOs like UN Women to design curricula that integrate technology into girls’ schooling. Her TEDx talk, “Closing the Gender Gap in Tech,” has been viewed over 500,000 times, inspiring similar initiatives in Algeria, Tunisia, and Egypt.

Charqia’s vision extends to creating a pan-African network for women in tech. She recently launched the Women in Tech Africa conference, fostering collaboration between startups, governments, and educators. Her efforts reflect a broader movement to leverage technology as a tool for gender equality in non-Western contexts. Follow her impact on LinkedIn or Twitter.