Mariam Nourya Koné

Biography

Nourya is an award-winning social and tech entrepreneur from Côte d'Ivoire with over 7 years of experience in software engineering and women's empowerment in the tech field. She has been a Women TechMaker Ambassador for Google since 2019 and a Google Developer Organizer since 2017. Nourya is driven by her commitment to technological innovation, women's issues, and educational challenges. She believes that it is crucial for women to be equipped with the necessary tools to challenge societal preconceptions. During the second edition of the Africa Web Festival, she led a team of developers and specialists in various fields of computing during the hackathon. As a Women Tech Maker Ambassador in GDG Abidjan, she initiated coding sessions as a volunteer, hoping to witness the rise of well-educated youth. Nourya firmly believes in giving back and empowering the youth to use technology wisely. In 2018, Nourya participated in the Mandela Washington Fellowship program started by Barack Obama, where she became an alumna of the Business and Entrepreneurship track at the University of Notre Dame. Following this experience, she launched her initiative, Hackily, with a primary focus on bridging the digital literacy gap for women. Her long-term goal is to create the next generations of talented and innovative Africans. Nourya is passionate about technology, innovation, and leveraging both for development. She has spoken about these issues across the world, including at the Africa Cyber Security Conference, DevFest, WTM events, African Woman of the Future (SEPHIS), and more. Nourya believes that Africa's future lies in quality education and fair access to technology for children and women. Nourya is a Global Shaper at the Abidjan Hub and served as Secretary in 2021, and currently serves as Vice-Curator. Through her role, she has helped the Abidjan Hub pursue the goal of achieving equal access to education in rural areas of Abidjan while fostering female role models for youth. Recently, she was selected as one of the World Economic Forum's #Davos50 – one of 50 Global Shapers selected to represent the Global Shapers Community at the 2023 World Economic Forum Summit in Davos. She was a speaker for the Youth Calls to Action session on the last day at Davos. Nourya has been featured in Forbes and Time's Davos Edition 'Solutions for a Fragmented World', highlighting her as a valuable contributor in addressing current global challenges.