What led you to create Women in Tech?
Ayumi Moore Aoki. – “Discrimination is something I was confronted with from a very early age. I grew up in South Africa during apartheid. At the time, discrimination was not only about race, but also about gender. At school, girls had to learn cooking or sewing while boys were doing other activities. It was the same in sports. With my friends, we were actually the first female rowing team in the school.
Later, when I entered the technology sector, I realised how difficult it was for women to find their place in that world. But this was the 2000s, and I genuinely believed the situation would naturally improve over time.
Then, in 2017, I realised the problem was not getting smaller – quite the opposite. The lack of women in tech was becoming increasingly visible. That was the moment I decided to create Women in Tech.
Why does the tech sector remain so male-dominated today?
“There are still many unconscious biases. For a long time, the image of the ideal developer was that of a white, slightly nerdy man. At the same time, many girls still grow up believing that maths, physics or science are not for them. Laws evolve, companies evolve too, but mentalities change much more slowly.
What is interesting is that the situation varies greatly depending on the country. In some regions of the world, there are more women graduating in engineering or scientific fields than men. This is notably the case in several North African and Middle Eastern countries.
Yet despite this, many of these women do not pursue careers in tech afterwards. In the professional world, the share of women in the sector often falls back to around 30 to 35%.
Is tech still difficult to access for people changing careers?
“You can always reinvent yourself, whatever the field. Of course, becoming a surgeon overnight would probably be more complicated… But tech is much more accessible than people think.
Today, a large number of the jobs that will exist in ten or twenty years do not even exist yet. Life has become a continuous learning process. And given the speed at which technology evolves, people need to reinvent themselves to remain professionally relevant.
Tech is precisely one of those sectors where career changes are possible, and it has become much easier than before. Thanks to digital tools and now AI, everyone can access resources adapted to their own profile directly from home.
When I learned to code, resources were very limited and you had to figure things out mostly on your own. Today, if someone wants to learn, the opportunities are really there.
We have already reached nearly one million women.
Women in Tech aims to impact 5 million women by 2030. Where do you stand today?
“We have already reached nearly one million women. But it is important to clarify that we are not talking about one million members. We are talking about one million women who have genuinely been impacted through our actions.
We work across several areas, from entrepreneurship and digital inclusion to education and career development. We are present in very different countries, from Burundi and South Africa to Brazil and Kazakhstan. The objective remains the same everywhere: creating measurable and meaningful impact adapted to each country’s realities.
How do you measure the concrete impact of Women in Tech?
“We have a dedicated reporting team, and each local chapter must define an annual roadmap with clear objectives. We then track very concrete indicators: how many people completed a programme, participated in mentoring sessions, attended events, or how many startups secured funding after being connected with investors.
The quantitative side is relatively easy to measure. But there is also a more qualitative dimension. We receive many stories from women who found a job, gained confidence or launched their own projects thanks to our programmes.
Numbers are important to make sure we are moving in the right direction. But behind every person impacted, there is often an entire family. Even changing one life at a time remains extremely meaningful for us.
Technology and geopolitics are now completely interconnected.
You also work on tech diplomacy. What exactly does that mean?
“It is still a relatively new discipline, but it is becoming essential today. Simply put, technology and geopolitics are now completely interconnected. Tech is no longer only about technology companies, just as international relations are no longer only about states and diplomats. Today, the two have become inseparable.
Why did tech diplomacy take so long to emerge as a strategic issue?
“Because institutions always evolve much more slowly than technology. Even when it comes to creating laws or adapting public policies, governments need time.
The first real ‘tech ambassador’ position was created by Denmark in 2017. Denmark’s first tech ambassador, Casper Klynge, was not assigned to a country but to an economic sector: technology. It was a world first. His role was to represent Denmark within the global technology ecosystem.
Afterwards, several countries – especially in Europe – started appointing digital ambassadors, cyber ambassadors or specialised attachés focused on technological issues. That is really when tech diplomacy started becoming structured.
Can you give a concrete example of how tech influences geopolitics?
“When the war in Ukraine started, one of the first infrastructures to be hit was telecommunications and electricity. Internet access was heavily disrupted. At that moment, Starlink intervened to restore connectivity through its satellites.
This shows how private technology companies can now play a strategic role in major geopolitical issues. A company controlling a key technology today holds a significant form of power.
We also saw this during the US presidential inauguration: the leaders of major technology companies were sitting in the front row. That is not a coincidence. Those who master technology now participate in global power dynamics.
Today, the debate is often framed as a confrontation between the United States and China. But I believe that vision is too binary. Developing countries also have a lot to contribute to the way the global technological future will be shaped.
In that context, how can smaller countries find their place against global tech giants?
“It is obviously not easy, but smaller countries still have important strategic advantages. Some possess resources essential to major technological industries. Others hold key geographical positions or strategic infrastructures.
Take Cape Verde for example: it is an island of around 500,000 inhabitants in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, yet its position is extremely strategic. Cables connecting North America, Brazil, Africa and Europe pass through it. The country also benefits from political stability, which gives it the potential to become a technological hub or a key location for critical infrastructures such as sovereign data centers for West Africa.
Africa will play a central role in the coming decades.
Could AI increase social and technological inequalities?
“AI tends to amplify existing inequalities. It can widen the gap between those who have access to tools, skills and education and those who do not. In some regions of the world, where part of the population is still struggling simply to access stable electricity or internet, these inequalities could inevitably grow.
At the same time, these technologies also represent an extraordinary opportunity. Instead of gradually catching up with more advanced countries, some states can directly leapfrog stages of development thanks to new technologies and move much faster.
And this matters even more because Africa will play a central role in the decades ahead. By 2050, one in four people in the world will be African. It is also the youngest region demographically: in many African countries, more than half of the population will be under 30 in the coming decades.
If these young populations gain access to the right tools, education and infrastructures, the potential is enormous. The coming years will show whether this technological revolution becomes an opportunity for development or an additional source of inequality.
Has the growing power of large technology companies become a democratic issue?
“Absolutely. And that is precisely why tech diplomacy has become necessary.
The first step is recognising this reality. These companies operate within national legal frameworks: they must comply with the laws of the countries where they are established, but also those where they operate.
The goal is not to oppose states and technology companies. On the contrary, we need real discussions to build trust and move forward together. States want innovation, economic growth and successful companies. But their primary responsibility remains the well-being of their citizens.
We therefore need to find a balance between innovation, economic interests and the protection of populations. And that requires dialogue.
That is precisely the role of tech diplomacy: creating spaces for discussion and cooperation around global digital policies, AI and emerging technologies. These conversations no longer involve governments alone. They also bring together major technology companies, the private sector, NGOs, civil society and academia so that all parts of society are represented in these debates.”
Who is Ayumi Moore Aoki?
Founder and CEO of Women in Tech Global and president of the Tech Diplomacy Global Institute, Ayumi Moore Aoki is an entrepreneur and expert in the geopolitical implications of technology. Born in Brazil and raised in South Africa during apartheid, she now advises international institutions, governments and economic organisations on AI, cybersecurity and digital governance.
A self-taught career shift
In 2008, while seeking a better work-life balance, Ayumi Moore Aoki left her job and decided to teach herself coding. At a time when online learning resources were still limited, she trained independently using educational CD-ROMs. This career shift marked the beginning of her journey into technology and entrepreneurship.
This article was written for the June 2026 issue of Paperjam Extra Nexus, published on May 20. The content was produced exclusively for the Extra. It is published on the website to contribute to Paperjam’s comprehensive archives. Click this link to subscribe to the magazine.
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