Abidjan — Vista Bank and Cybastion are delighted to announce our proactive commitment to support the US Government's Global Initiative on the Economic Empowerment of Women announced by Vice President Harris on March 29, 2023.
We are thrilled to share that we are embarking on this journey together, recognizing the significance and urgency of advancing the economic status of women globally. Through our joint efforts, we are proud to allocate the sum of 100,000 million CFA to support DigiFemmes, a high-impact social program initiated and funded by USAID, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and Microsoft, towards the training and certification of 2,000 women in the following cities: Abidjan, Korhogo, Yamoussoukro, Bouake, Divo, Gagnoa, Adzope, San-Pedro, Man & Dalo. From January 2024 to December 2026.
Vista Bank and Cybastion hope this endeavour extends far beyond the borders of the Côte d'Ivoire. By empowering women and girls through digital literacy and economic opportunities, we aim to address and diminish the digital gender gap prevalent throughout Francophone Africa.
This disparity continues to undermine women's full participation in the 21st-century economy. By bridging this gap, we envision a future where women play an instrumental role in shaping their communities and driving sustainable development.
Our proactive start to this pledge aligns perfectly with the global development goals. It prioritizes the acceleration of training, professional integration, and the promotion of youth entrepreneurship throughout the Côte d'Ivoire.
Vista Bank and Cybastion aim to inspire a wave of change, fostering a society where women have the tools, skills, and opportunities to thrive in the modern economy. We firmly believe that by investing in women's economic empowerment, we sow the seeds for a more equitable and prosperous future for all.
- Vista Bank Group is a financial service holding company with the objective to build a world-class pan-African financial institution group and contribute to economic development and financial inclusion in Africa. Vista Bank Group has provided more than USD 50 million to women led businesses and gender initiatives in Africa.
- Cybastion is an American company with operations in several African countries that creates robust, world-class cybersecurity solutions tailored to meet the public and private sectors needs by bridging the skill gap and providing training and sophisticated solutions to detect, monitor, and defend against cyber-attacks. Cybastion and Vista Bank look to partner in training and building the next generation of African cybersecurity female leaders.
-DigiFemmes aims to empower women entrepreneurs in Côte d'Ivoire to grow their businesses by leveraging data and digital skills. The DigiFemmes program will help bridge existing gender gaps by building the capacity of women in Côte d'Ivoire to manage and grow successful businesses by participating in the digital economy. It will support existing women's SMEs in their growth journey, and create a robust pipeline of new SMEs, and work with ecosystem stakeholders to create an enabling environment for digital skills in Côte d'Ivoire.
- Vice President Harris stated that the Global Initiative on Economic Empowerment of Women's "mission is to promote gender equity and equality globally, with a specific focus on Africa. We are dedicated to advancing the economic status of women and girls, recognizing its vital role in human rights, justice, and fairness. Our efforts aim to reduce poverty, foster sustainable economic growth, increase access to education, improve health outcomes, advance political stability, and nurture democracy, enabling women's full participation in the 21st-century economy. We are determined to close the digital gender gap, ensure equitable digital finance and online services, and challenge social norms that impede women's digital empowerment. Through collaboration with governments, the private sector, foundations, and multilateral organizations, we seek to foster women's political, economic, and social inclusion, building upon our existing initiatives and partnerships."
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