Afghanistan’s Women in Technology – Leadership and Hope

By Amy Franko

Whenever I feel a pang of doubt or fear about my leadership path or entrepreneurship, it’s an article like this one from Fast Company that jolts me out of it, and I wanted to share it with you.

Most of the stories coming out of the Middle East, and especially Afghanistan, don’t have much good news to share. This is a place with major problems such as lack of access to the basics such as electricity or the internet, the near-constant threat of civil war, a 25% adult literacy rate, and extreme poverty.

But there are other stories coming out of the country, and they’re stories of hope and leadership.

In the Heart of Afghanistan, Entrepreneurs Innovate for Peace is the story of entrepreneurs living and working across Afghanistan, who believe that the road to peace and modernity can be found in technology. These young men, and also a few young women, are starting companies in all facets of technology. Their goal is nothing short of audacious – to completely change their country.

What spoke to me the most were the young women. They’re braving their country’s cultural norms and stepping up with amazing courage to lead their own companies.

Roya Mahboob, 25, started Afghan Citadel Software two years ago. The company now has 18 full-time employees, and 11 of them are women. It’s the most profitable company to come from the country’s Herat incubator (not surprising, given the research that increasingly ties women in leadership roles to a company’s improved overall profitability.)

But it’s so much more than that. She’s a role model for women and girls who want to become leaders in a country where just a short time ago, that was unheard of.