The Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), an entity of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, launched the Women Technology and Innovation Programme (WTIP) on March 26, an initiative dedicated to driving transformation and inclusivity in South Africa’s innovation ecosystem by empowering women techno-entrepreneurs.

With this in mind, the TIA aims to bridge the funding gap, create an enabling environment and provide the necessary support to help women innovators scale their businesses and make a lasting impact. 

Through strategic partnerships, investment in high-potential ventures and fostering gender-responsive innovation, the WTIP aims to reshape the landscape for women-led technological advancements.

During the launch, TIA acting CEO Ismail Abdoola noted that through the WTIP, the TIA sought to empower women innovators, fostering an ecosystem that nurtured their potential and accelerated their contributions to technological advancements.

He noted the challenges and barriers faced by women entrepreneurs, such as access to funding, support or mentorship.

“To truly drive lasting change, we must adopt a whole-of -society approach. This means that government, industry, academia, civil society and individuals must all come together in partnership to create an environment that fosters innovation and entrepreneurship for all.

“This launch is a powerful demonstration of the relentless drive, ingenuity and visionary leadership of the women behind these trailblazing innovations. Their creativity and commitment are reshaping industries, proving that when women lead the charge, extraordinary things can happen,” Abdoola added.

TIA board member Anati Canca further noted that the WTIP aimed to promote women as entrepreneurs and innovators and to invest in innovations and technologies that met the needs of women.

The programme also aims to build market awareness, investment and industry-wide actions to grow an innovation market in South Africa that advances gender equality and empowerment.

Through science, technology and innovation, the programme aimed to address the challenges making it difficult for women to take advantage of economic opportunities, she said.

Additionally, Canca pointed out that the agency aimed to accelerate and to amplify its work to create a stronger impact through improved coordination to achieve a critical mass of women entrepreneurs based on technology and innovation at the level of the entire system.

“We will use this programme to address systemic failures in funding,” said Canca.

In this vein, TIA chairperson Loyiso Tyira highlighted the “TIA 2.0” strategy, which was aimed at repositioning the organisation to be a funder and a thought leader within the National System of Innovation (NSI).

“As an organisation, we are embracing a new business model that will prioritise the systematic impact within innovation and collaboration,” he said.

“As TIA, we are not going to simply acknowledge the imbalance . . . this is a statement of intent. We want to disrupt the status quo and . . . this initiative is the start of that systematic shift on how we aim to disrupt the status quo,” he added.

Meanwhile, TIA innovation for inclusive development manager Dr Anitha Ramsuran noted that the WTIP was established to advance the strategic intent of the 2019 White Paper on Science, Technology and Innovation to promote transformation with the NSI.

Through the White Paper, the TIA aims to address the underrepresentation of women in the technology and innovation sector, increasing their participation and ensuring the development of innovations that address challenges faced by women.

With this in mind, Ramsuran said the TIA had opened funding applications for technology-based solutions that addressed challenges faced by women in the areas of maternal health; sanitary health; gender-based violence; reproductive health; or challenges uniquely faced by women that could be addressed through an innovative solution.

She explained that only women who were South African citizens or permanent residents were eligible to apply.

Other criteria include having a company registered and domiciled in South Africa, and applicants who had innovative and locally developed technology solutions requiring early-stage derisking demonstration or support for market uptake.

Ramsuran noted that the TIA was offering R200 000 as a pre-seed fund.

Applications will close on April 28.