She is among the first tech entrepreneurs in Afghanistan. At 23, she became the first female CEO in her country. At 25, Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. She is Roya Mahboob and this is her mission: harnessing technology to transform the lives of millions of women. She has always fought for the digital literacy of girls in developing countries and in Afghanistan, where only 3% of women over 25 have a basic level of education.
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“Technology has changed my life. It has helped me. So why not help other women?”: Software engineer, Roya is at the forefront with her Digital Citizen Fund (DCF), a non-profit association that pushes Afghan women to scientific subjects. She has created 13 technology centers where girls can take courses in robotics, coding, programming, blockchain and entrepreneurship. “We have helped over 16,000 people with our programs.” Roya founded in 2017 the group known as Afghan Dreamers (Afghan Girls Robotics Team): a team of Afghan girls, between 12 and 18 years old who grew up with a very strong passion for robotics and known all over the world for their inventions and for having won international competitions.
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35 years old, change-maker, Mahboob is an incredible promoter of change. “Acceptance has never changed the world and what the Afghan people need now is courage and change.”
Degree in Computer science, she discovers a passion for the computer, which she calls the magic box, at the age of 14. “I heard my brothers talking about a” magic box “that connects you to the world. The first time I had access to a computer was in 2003. I was in an Internet cafe in Herat. I used Yahoo Messenger and I realized that writing words on that screen would open new worlds to me. And I decided that I would make technology the center of my life. “
Raised in a family that believed in the value of education, Roya had the opportunity to go to school. “In those years we were refugees in Iran”. You enroll in computer courses offered by the UN Development Program of the United Nations. “Then, when things started to improve in our country, we went back to Afghanistan. And I enrolled in university.”
She graduated in computer science, then became the coordinator of large IT projects within the University itself. “At that time I decided to create my first company”. In 2010 she founded the Afghan Citadel Software Company with some classmates, a software development company with the aim of creating a workplace that was welcoming, safe and suitable for female engineers. “But my path to becoming CEO was not easy. I encountered obstacles and was persecuted, but I believe those challenges have made me who I am today.”
At that time, Roya struggled to find clients: no one wanted to work with women. Thanks to her technology, she overcomes barriers and finds them further away. In Afghanistan, women do not have a bank account. How to pay those who work for you? In Bitcoin, so that they can receive their salary in a digital wallet, without anyone being able to control them. She then joins a technology incubator in Herat created by Paul Brinkley, the former US Deputy Secretary of Defense, as part of a US government-backed program to promote business development in Afghanistan.
“What inspired me? Technology for me has been like a door that opens to new worlds. And when a door opens, it’s open to opportunities.”
With the proceeds of her first company, Roya starts the Digital Citizen Fund. He is looking for investors abroad. After being the protagonist of a NATO documentary, she finds her first investor, the Italian-American entrepreneur Francesco Rulli. “In a society where access to education and technology is limited, it was difficult to imagine a different future especially for women. None of us should accept the world as it is today. The extremism we see in Afghanistan is caused. from the lack of education and I am determined to prevent it from continuing. “
In 2018 Roya joins The NewNow, a global group of emerging leaders incubated by Virgin Unite, Richard Branson’s foundation created to support the toughest challenges.
His commitment is recognized all over the world. From America to Asia. She is considered one of the most visionary young leaders on the planet, she has received honorary degrees and scholarships. “Breaking gender stereotypes is not only individually beneficial, it is vital for the future of Afghanistan. There are many countries where the role of women and their potential are not recognized. And when that happens, we all lose enormous wealth. “.