Rania Abo-Gazala

Egyptian tech pioneer who empowered women through digital literacy programs in the Middle East

Rania Abo-Gazala (b. 1965) is a visionary Egyptian entrepreneur who transformed women's access to technology through her pioneering work in digital literacy. In 1993, she co-founded First Step, Egypt's first women's IT training center that taught 25,000+ women coding and tech skills by 2020. Her innovative Women in Tech initiative created the region's first Arabic-language programming courses, reaching 12 Arab countries.

Abo-Gazala's 2003 partnership with UN Women established the Digital Bridge Project, which provided rural Egyptian women with smartphones preloaded with agricultural apps developed in collaboration with Cairo University. This initiative increased crop yields by 40% in participating villages and inspired similar programs in Morocco and Jordan.

In 2010, she launched the Middle East Women in Technology Network, connecting 5,000+ professionals across 18 countries. Her advocacy led to Egypt's 2016 law mandating tech education for girls in public schools, which now includes mandatory coding classes for grades 4-12.

Her 2018 documentary Code for Equality tracked 50 Egyptian women's journeys into tech careers, winning the Arab World Film Festival's Social Impact Award. Abo-Gazala's work has been recognized by the Clinton Global Initiative and Forbes' 'Most Influential Women in Tech' list (2021).