Editor, 

I WAS happy to read your article, Catchy tech projects that stole the show at Miss Geek contest, about the inaugural Miss Geek Rwanda contest held on March 8 (International Women’s Day).

As the Country Director for the Akilah Institute for Women, I was honoured to award the People’s Choice prize, an iPad Air, to Chantal Umukundwa, who pitched an idea for an online system that locates nearby businesses. 

Much more than a "Miss Geek”, Chantal is one of the many young women who are stepping up to lead Rwanda towards its goal of becoming a regional leader in ICT.

Women like Chantal are now at the forefront of ICT, and their ideas and talents have the potential to employ others, change the economic landscape, and move the country forward. We want to offer our congratulations not only to the winners of the prizes on March 8, but also to the organisers of the Miss Geek Rwanda 2014 contest, who recognised that empowering women to enter ICT is not only a social good, but an economic priority.

Having launched our new Information Systems major this year, we at the Akilah Institute for Women look forward to many more opportunities to work with our partners in Rwanda to support more women in ICT. 

Thank you to everyone at Girls In ICT Rwanda, the organisers of the Miss Geek Rwanda 2014 contest for a job well done.

Aline Kabanda, Country Director, Akilah Institute for Women