A Woman Blazing Trails in Francophone West Africa

I believe digital development is key to progress, my life conveys that women are not just good for housework and that the youth are a valuable resource for development. This is why I’m engaged in what I do daily.

Rabiatou H. MOUSSA Rabiatou Moussa is currently the Research and Learning manager for the USAID backbone for the Sahel Collaboration and Communication, covering Niger and Burkina Faso. She is also the Co-founder and Executive Director of an NGO created in 2017 called Developpe-Les Developpe-Les. Rabia is passionate about using technology and innovation to empower communities across Africa. With a background in software engineering and business entrepreneurship, she has spent many years working on digital strategy and development with many United Nations agencies and the World Bank. She is also the co-organizer of Google for Developers Group, Niamey and Francophone West Africa’s regional mentor for Google Women Techmakers. In addition, Rabia is a 2016 Mandela Washington Fellow and 2019 Global Pathfinder Fellow. Globally, she is deeply involved in the digital, entrepreneurial and humanitarian ecosystems.

How did you start your career? And what is your reason for pursuing this path?

First of all, since childhood, it’s been very important for me to feel useful. That's why I'm helping people. And that's why I decided to improve my ability to improve people's lives through my career. 

I grew up studying abroad, but I decided to return to my home country, Niger, in 2015, driven by love and a lifelong dream to contribute to positive change, not just in my country, but also across Africa. I decided to be involved in more than just the technical areas because sometimes people are just looking for technical opportunities and I have always loved technology since childhood. However, I think about how can I use it (technology) to improve people's lives. Then, I was also very attracted to entrepreneurship. So, combining digital and entrepreneurship to help people, drove me into the humanitarian sector. That's why I'm engaged in these three ecosystems. 

My background in software engineering and experience with international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Bank helped solidify my vision to drive a positive impact. Also, I believe digital development is key to progress, my life conveys that women are not just good for housework and that the youth are a valuable resource for development. This is why I’m engaged in what I do daily.

I envision a future where technology is a bridge to opportunities for everyone in Africa.

Wow! I love how you shared some of your philosophies and I love that you're trying to move against the tide or tell a story about how women can do a whole lot more than staying at home.

Can you talk about a few projects that you've been involved in, in this regard? Either short-term, long-term, or ongoing?

For short-term projects, in two of my different positions, I work to promote digital literacy and bridge digital and gender divides. Also, I’m working to see how we can boost the entrepreneurship ecosystem, locally, regionally and worldwide. 

As a coordinator of Google Developers Group Niamey and a Francophone West Africa Mentor, I'm working to foster the tech ecosystem because as I mentioned I believe that promoting digital literacy and bridging the digital gender divide are very crucial for building strong tech communities locally and regionally. So, that's why I am engaged in providing training and mentorship to help developers gain technical skills, but not technical skills only - we also equip these young people with soft skills and training on how to improve their confidence. This is for Francophone people, especially those who only speak French in Africa. Sometimes, they are very shy and this makes it difficult for them to enjoy the full potential of youthfulness. Youths have the largest population in the world with an average age of around 15. So, it's very important to empower more communities and help them unlock their full potential. 

Then, we are also working to encourage them in entrepreneurship. My ultimate goal is to see these young people leverage technology as a tool for self-learning and solve their own challenges on a continental scale.

In the long term, I envision a future where technology is a bridge to opportunities for everyone in Africa. That's why I want to continue working at the intersection of technology, social good and entrepreneurship. Also, I continue to work on my personal growth to see how I can amplify my ability to empower more communities and then help them unlock their full potential. I can also mention that I'm a part of some impact regional associations like I4Policy and Africa Innov which allows me to collaborate with passionate individuals working across Africa on digital policy and innovation. This has broadened my perspective and keeps me updated on the latest trends. Globally, I am deeply involved in these three areas: digital, entrepreneurial and humanitarian ecosystems.  

Thank you so much for sharing that extensively. I would like to ask quickly, are you only focused for now on Niger or trying to work on projects that affect Africa in general?

No, The initiatives vary. There is a specific initiative for Nigeriens. For example, the NGO that I co-founded launched a rural incubator because, in our country for example, people are more focused on empowering entrepreneurs in urban areas. Yet, the majority of the population is in rural areas. That's why we are also working to empower women and youth in rural areas to help them structure their ideas and get them involved in entrepreneurship. So, there’s an initiative focused on Niger. But I’m also involved in Africa-wide initiatives. For example, in addition to being an ambassador for Google Women Techmakers, Niamey, I’m also a regional mentor and a part of some regional associations that do a lot of advocacy for entrepreneurship and digital. So, my initiatives are really both regional and local.

I continue to work on my personal growth to see how I can amplify my ability to empower more communities and then help them unlock their full potential.

What are the challenges you feel that Nigeriens and other Africans are facing currently that you are directly working to address?

The first challenge that Nigeriens are facing is a lack of soft skills. That's why we did a lot of empowerment sessions to help them improve how they can speak in public, express themselves, and organize themselves in terms of career and personal development. Another big challenge for youths in Africa is unemployment. You know, that's why through Developpe-Les , we are very convinced that entrepreneurship is a key to addressing youth unemployment. And not only youth unemployment but also illegal immigration and violence. We also participate in a lot of brainstorming sessions outside of Niger areas, organised by ECOWAS in the prevention of conflict department, to see how entrepreneurship can help youth not be attracted by violence, illegal immigration or other negative activities. 

In addition to addressing youth unemployment and the need for soft skills, we are also really working on women's empowerment in Niger specifically in digital areas. We are working to drop stereotypes about women in tech careers. The idea is to demystify the domain for young girls and help them be in contact with a panel or our roundtable of other aspiring ladies who can be an inspiration to them. 

So, yeah, we work on women's empowerment and youth development.

In all of this, what are the challenges that you face while trying to accomplish these initiatives and how have you been overcoming them?

The first challenge sometimes is people don’t like change. Sometimes, it's not very easy to come and try to achieve change in the lives of people. So, what I did first was to improve my capacity to listen to people. This is because if you want to address issues and if you want to set up programs or design solutions for others, you need to understand them. 

You need to understand their needs and make sure that what you are doing is really helping them. So, listening to people is important. 

Also, trying not to impose ideas on people. Even when we do empowering sessions, we are not trying to change the personalities of people. We are just helping them understand some points that can improve their growth. We are not to say, ‘You are supposed to do this or do that,’ it has to come as suggestions or ideas. 

Let me formulate it better. When we are working with these youth and women, the idea is to not impose anything because sometimes people have their own perspectives. Some programs try to impose ideas, and it's not good because we have different perspectives and stories, and we need to adapt efficiently. So, we are also really working to sensitise, about digital harm because it's a big issue in Niger and globally in Africa.

…through Developpe-Les, we are very convinced that entrepreneurship is key to addressing youth unemployment. And not only youth unemployment but also illegal immigration and violence.

Are there cultural barriers in trying to advance these digital skills in Niger or other countries you have worked with?

There are ethnic barriers. So, we are releasing content about that to clarify that these challenges exist. Whatever your culture, the digital divide is an issue because limited access to technology and digital literacy skills can further be a disadvantage and hinder one’s ability to access information, education and economic opportunities.

Now, we are trying to stay focused on what the challenge is, what the solutions are and the outcomes for the people that we are working on. 

To address, for example, cultural barriers, you must have some strategies. The first is to build trust and understanding, that's why I mentioned earlier that I developed my listening skills because it's very important to understand them. And then, we try to respect the existing cultural norms and beliefs. In our intervention, we are trying not to impose ideas, rather, we are trying to empower but with respect for cultural norms and beliefs of people. So, we don’t impose a solution that clashes with deeply held values. But we are working together with the participants of our programs to see how we can find relevant ways to integrate empowerment sessions, and coaching sessions, with their values and practices, i.e., having a special sensitivity to their local traditions. Our work also is to build trust and understanding through community engagement. You know, because we are doing a lot of pausing and reflecting with participants to learn about them to know what works and what doesn’t and how we can improve our activities.  

Globally, if we can build trust and understanding, tailoring specific approaches, having effective communication, and active listening, we can have the capacity to build with these local participants.

Can you share a little bit more about what inspires you to do all that you do for Africans?

To be honest, at the beginning, I was just focused on my country. I grew up abroad, and it was a dream for me to come back. I grew up in Cameroon, and I studied in Tunisia and the US. I studied software engineering in Tunisia and Business Entrepreneurship in the US. Since childhood, we have visited Niger during Summer periods only. But for me, coming just for the summer wasn't enough. So it was a dream to come back and be involved in my country. That's why I decided in 2015 to come back to Niger. And when I got back, I tried to envision further and saw that we need to work on the regional areas, West Africa, and also across the continent. 

Although it was my dream to come back to Niger but naturally, I enjoy feeling useful. I need it. Every morning, I wake up tired, but what I really enjoy is seeing the impact that my initiatives can have on other people and seeing that the privilege I have enjoyed is brought back to the community to invest in others. And I was a little bit jealous for my country (when people) say, ‘Oh, why is my country poor?’ We have a lot of potential. There are amazing people. So, we can just work together, help each other, inspire each other and also improve the country. Other countries do that. Take the story of Rwanda, for example, they came so far and they succeed now. Why can't we do that? That's why I also say that I'm convinced that the youth is a valuable resource for development. Niger has a big population with the youngest population, which for me is a key. Why are we not using it to develop the country? I realized when I arrived in Niger that we need both technical skills and soft skills. This is because some youth are not engaged in national input and related topics.  

Then, I decided to also be involved in regional areas because sometimes, regional and continental associations help us have an impact in Niger. For example, in 2018, I joined I4Policy (Innovation for Policy), an African foundation working to improve entrepreneurship laws and policies in Africa. I also participated in the Senegal Startup Act draft and the Mali Startup Act Draft. That inspired me to come back to Niger and try also to see how we can improve our entrepreneurship ecosystem and also work to see how we can equip these youth, not only to get a job but to not be attracted by illegal immigration or violence.

Our work also is to build trust and understanding through community engagement because we are doing a lot of pausing and reflecting with participants to learn about them to know what works and what doesn’t and how we can improve our activities.  

I think that we need to have a connected and united continent and a stronger regional integration and collaboration which will create and unify the African identity.

What's your vision for Africa? 

I dream of seeing an Africa that we deserve. We have a lot of potential. And what we are living now is less than what we deserve. My vision is also to build a strong continent that enables collaboration between countries. I feel that countries in Africa don’t come together. A quote says ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together.’ But I think it's just on paper that we say that. In the African Union, we say we are united but it’s not really a fact. So, that's the first vision - seeing our countries truly come together to build this continent. Not just the continent we want, but also the continent we deserve. My vision is also to see digital literacy become a reality in our curricula. Some African countries already did that, but it is not a reality in all countries.

What collaborations have proven most useful to you in all of these endeavours? You’ve probably leveraged some partnerships and opportunities to implement some of these things, which of them have been most useful to you?

Both local and regional partnerships are really useful. Local is important. For example, we sometimes work with some environmental NGOs in our local NGO. So, we can amplify our message that we will promote entrepreneurship and digital development, but we need to promote sustainable development which is also a key question for Africa. Internationally and regionally, we create some relevant content for our entrepreneurs and also connect with like-minded incubators or structures that are very useful. So, yeah, I think both regional and local partnerships are very important. 

Can you tell us about what kind of opportunities partnerships, and collaborations you are most keen on securing right now?

I think that we need to have a connected and united continent and a stronger regional integration and collaboration which will create and unify the African identity. It will also be a great opportunity for us to get resources flowing freely, fostering collaboration and economic growth. Also, a real opportunity to get a continent powered by its people. A continent where every citizen, regardless of gender, ethnicity or background, has digital literacy access and economic opportunities. 

So for me, I seek opportunities where we can have a collective impact, regardless of the areas. Where we can work together to eradicate poverty, work for economic growth and promote equitable society throughout this continent. I think Africa has already demonstrated that we are a vibrant continent. We are driven and have innovation and entrepreneurship vibes. So it’s just how we can structure our collaboration and work together to have a collective impact in different areas. 

You know we have diverse cultures; the culture in Niger is not the same as that of Rwanda. So, maybe if we can structure our collaborations, we can also share our cultures and that also helps us to share good practices.

I'm sure we are doing something in Niger that can inspire other countries. Other countries are also doing something that we can implement and have great outcomes but we need dedication.

It will also take us time to be able to get these things together but small steps in the right direction will get us there.

Thank you so much for your time and for really sharing. I think not only is this for me, but it is also an opportunity to hear the thoughts of other Africans on ways that we can develop the continent and I hope that your work keeps progressing in the areas that you desire and the impact you want to make in Africa.

You have probably found a kindred spirit just by reading this story. You have found someone who wants to facilitate national and continental impact like you do.

Now, share this story with your friends and followers as widely as possible and let's ignite once again, the hope that Africa is indeed emerging and there is transforming work going on.

Do you want us to tell your story or the story of someone who is changing the landscape? shoot me a DM.

Thanks for reading and sharing 😉