Tonga Women in ICT and APNIC Foundation Post-PACTRAINING Dialogue

By Mele Manitisa

Tonga alongside Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Samoa was fortunate to be a part of the APNIC Foundation Pacific Technical Training Project (PACTRAINING). This project comprised of workshops and series of technical training conducted to reduce the national-level network inefficiencies and improve Internet connectivity in each country.

Following the completion of the PACTRAINING project, the APNIC Foundation hosted a hybrid-based networking event, where network operators could meet other members of the Tongan Women in ICT (TWICT) group and discussed possible barriers for women to enter or stay in the technical side of the telecommunications industry, as well as encouraging more active participation from women in Tonga, specifically in the technical community.

The event was held on 29 November 2021, with the local community joined from the House of Tonga in Nuku’alofa, while the APNIC Foundation and APNIC staff joined virtually via Zoom. The TWICT invited Mr. Siosaia Vaipuna, the Director of the Tonga’s National Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT Tonga) to open the program and to also join the dialogue by sharing his experience over the years and how women’s involvement in the ICT and telecommunication fields has evolved.

Mr. Vaipuna shared that he has been working in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) field in Tonga for over 20 years now, and even though it is a male dominant field, he has seen an increase in the number of females in Tonga working in this field. The participants agreed and shared their journey on how they got to where they are today. Each story was unique and inspiring; however, they shared one thing in common, the challenge of getting a job in the technical field after returning from pursuing undergraduate studies.

The discussion highlighted that the issue was not the lack of educational qualification, rather a lack of technical experience, as well as the limited technical roles available in the ICT and telecommunication industry. Some of the other challenges included the lack of participation from women in applying to the available technical roles due to lack of self-confidence.

Ideas were shared on how to overcome the identified challenges and how the APNIC Foundation could assist Tonga, especially the women in ICT. As a result, the following goals were raised as potential way forward:

• Recruitment toolkit to assist in recruiting women for technical roles
• Pre-training for newbies, fresh out of university, with basic technical training before entering the workforce/industry
• Work attachment programs to expose participants to a more advanced working environment and best practices (abroad)
• Provide more specific technical training based on identified needs
• Identify mentors/champions/role models and establish a mentoring program
• Train the trainer program

The TWICT extends their gratitude to the assistance received from the APNIC Foundation over the years, as well as the participants, for the opportunity to dialogue and exchange ideas during the event. The future is brighter for the women in Tonga, especially those who are interested and passionate about ICT and telecommunications. Tonga is looking forward to continuing working together with the APNIC Foundation in the future.

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