Currently, more than a thousand IT companies are registered in Astana Hub, with 179 of them led by women. It is worth noting that the majority of IT startups in the Astana Hub ecosystem, founded by women, are focused on the development of the social sphere and EdTech.

Recall that on June 19, under the chairmanship of Kazakhstan, a meeting of the Women's Dialogue of Central Asian countries on the topic "The Role of Women in the Development of Innovation and Technology" took place in Astana. During the meeting, participants from Astana Hub showcased their projects and shared their experiences.

"Our company is engaged in IT profession training, employment, and most importantly, we implement digital solutions in SMEs. I pay special attention to the involvement of women in IT, so that girls are not excluded from this process. Currently, our company is participating in the program by Astana Hub and Google for Startups. Within this accelerator, we have developed Codify bot based on artificial intelligence, which will help businesses not only implement digital solutions into their processes but also find the necessary and competent personnel. Our main goal is to contribute to creating a startup nation, so instead of sending migrants to developed countries, we can deliver IT solutions and export IT products from Central Asia to the global market," noted Dinara Ruslan, founder and CEO of the Codify group of IT companies.

The annual demand for ICT professionals in Kazakhstan is about 30,000 people. Currently, women account for 31% of IT industry workers in the country. Resource centers opened in all regions of Kazakhstan in 2022 to assist women entrepreneurs have supported ten thousand projects. The main goal of digitalization is to improve the quality of life and create equal opportunities for everyone. This has led to an inclusive approach with a focus on people, especially women and girls.

"One of the brightest examples is that just a few years ago, to obtain a birth certificate for a child, one had to visit government institutions, provide a package of documents, and the process could take up to a month. And nowadays, after the birth of a newborn, the mother receives all the necessary services in a proactive format, where she only needs to respond to a message from our e-government, and the rest is done by E-gov. This helps mothers fully focus on their babies. It is also worth noting that women actively participate in creating important projects in the country. Our flagship for IT startups, Astana Hub, is working in this direction, developing an innovation ecosystem," shared Asel Moldabekova, Advisor to the Minister of Digital Development, Innovations, and Aerospace Industry of Kazakhstan, and a member of TechnoWomen Kazakhstan.

IT projects founded by women demonstrate high efficiency and enter foreign markets. It is also observed that more applications for IT business education are coming from women recently. For example, within the financial support program for private IT schools, Tech Orda, grants were received by 3,067 students, 39% of whom are women.

Furthermore, Astana Hub, with the support of the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations, and Aerospace Industry, and in collaboration with the National Commission on Women's and Family-Demographic Policy under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, has launched the IT-Aiel program. Within this program, 2,000 unemployed women will have the opportunity to undergo training in No Code School, Freelance School, and basic computer literacy.