By: Julius Bizimungu First Lady Jeannette Kagame and other representatives of governments and international organisations who attended the just concluded Transform Africa Summit have expressed the need for strategic interventions to bridge the gender digital divide. They were speaking during the inaugural Smart Africa Women’s Summit at the three-day Transform Africa Summit which concluded yesterday in Kigali. Mrs. Kagame said that Smart Africa goals cannot be achieved without the involvement of women and girls and that to achieve it concerted efforts of all parties are required. “We, as citizens of the world, are called to leverage our diverse positions to join governmental and non-governmental efforts for the inclusion of women and girls in the heart of the current ICT revolution,” she said. The First Lady congratulated all the participants that made it possible to draft the Smart Africa Women Declaration which is set for implementation, adding that she looked forward…

Nuclear scientist Kára McCullough was crowned Miss USA. The Washington D.C. native also had some words to speak on feminism, including her views on the state of women in science, technology, engineering, and medicine (STEM). Answering a question about what she thinks of feminism, McCullough surprised more than a few listeners. “As a woman scientist in the government, I’ve liked to lately transpose the word ‘feminism’ to ‘equalism,’” she stated. “I try not to consider myself, like, ‘Oh I don’t really care about men [feminist].’” “But one thing I’m going to say is,” McCullough stressed, “women we are just as equal to men when it comes opportunity in the workplace. And I say first-hand, I have witnessed the impact that women have in leadership in the medical sciences as well as just in the office environment. So, as Miss USA, I would hope to promote that type of leadership responsibility…

By: Zahraa Alkhalisi Saudi Arabia is taking steps to give women more freedom as it seeks to overhaul its economy. King Salman has ordered a review of laws that still make it hard for many women to work, travel, undergo medical procedures and go to university without the permission of a male relative or spouse, human rights organizations said this week. The review could last three months. “The order, if adequately enforced, could end arbitrary guardian consent requirements imposed on women by government officials,” Human Rights Watch said Tuesday. The Saudi government has not yet published an official decree setting out in detail which laws could be eased, and there have been conflicting reports in Saudi media. That likely reflects the very sensitive nature of any such change. Deputy crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman is leading a bold plan to break the kingdom’s reliance on oil, which requires a…