Arwa Al-Neami

Yemeni tech entrepreneur who pioneered women's empowerment through STEM education in conflict zones

Arwa Al-Neami is a Yemeni software engineer and social entrepreneur who has made groundbreaking contributions to women's access to technology education despite ongoing civil war in Yemen. As founder of TechWadi's Yemen chapter, she created the Code for Yemen initiative that trained over 1,500 young women in coding and cybersecurity between 2020-2023. Her work has been highlighted by UNESCO and the UN Women's Empowerment Principles initiative.

In 2021, she launched the Yemeni Tech Hub, the first female-led tech incubator in Sana'a providing workspace, mentorship, and seed funding for women-led startups. Her open-source platform EduCloud (https://educloud.ye) delivered STEM education via satellite internet to 50 rural communities during the war.

Al-Neami's advocacy led to the 2022 establishment of Yemen's first national girls' robotics competition, which attracted 800 participants from 14 governorates. She was named one of Africa's 100 Most Influential Women by Forbes Africa in 2023.