Rania Al-Abdulla

Jordanian tech entrepreneur bridging gender gaps in STEM through education and enterprise

Rania Al-Abdulla (born 1982) is a pioneering Jordanian entrepreneur and advocate for women's participation in technology sectors. Founder of Women in Tech Jordan, she has trained over 5,000 women in coding and digital skills since launching her initiative in 2015. Her company Technovation Jordan develops AI solutions for healthcare and education while maintaining a 70% female workforce.

Al-Abdulla's early career in Silicon Valley exposed her to global tech trends, but she returned to Jordan to address regional challenges. She created the Digital Skills for All program that provides free online courses in Arabic, reaching 200,000 learners across the Middle East. Her work with UN Women helped establish Jordan's first national policy on women's digital inclusion, adopted in 2020.

She co-founded the Makers Jordan innovation hub, which incubates startups led by women and youth. This space has produced solutions like an AI-powered farming app that increases crop yields by 30% for smallholders. Her advocacy led to Jordan's first female cybersecurity squad, trained through her partnership with the Ministry of Interior.

Al-Abdulla's TEDx talk "Code for Change: How Tech Can Empower Arab Women" has been viewed 800,000 times. She was named one of Forbes Middle East's Top 50 Women in 2022 and serves on the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Gender.

Her most recent venture, GirlsCode Jordan, introduces programming to schoolgirls through gamified learning platforms. Over 10,000 students have participated, with 40% going on to pursue STEM degrees. By combining enterprise development with grassroots education, she's reshaping Jordan's tech landscape to be more inclusive and innovative.