Francine Katsoudas, Cisco's Chief People Policy and Purpose Officer, discusses digital inclusion and tech skills gaps. Sixty-two percent of Africans remain offline, and there are 4 million unfilled cybersecurity roles. Only 9% of African cybersecurity professionals are women, though a South African STEM program achieved 50% female representation in both teachers and students.
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Wow, thank you so much, Ilan. I just want— that is the largest commitment to date to protect the Amazon, and I think that deserves another round of applause, so thank you so much, Ilan. As we mark the United Nations' 80th anniversary, we recognize that while the system was built on government leadership, the private sector has an essential role to play in advancing global goals. So that's why it is my distinct honor to be joined by a female leader in technology, but also my dear friend, Francine Katsoudas, EVP and Chief People Policy and Purpose Officer, and also Chair of the Global Citizen Board of Directors. Fran, please come up to the stage. So Fran looks absolutely incredible, can I just say? Talk about a power woman. Franciscan has been a partner of Global Citizen for 7 years, and you chair Global Citizen's board. I just want to ask, what is it about Global Citizen's mission that drew both Cisco and you actually to this work?
Yeah. So I'll start with Global Citizen. I have to tell you, I have such respect for organizations that ask the hard questions. Why can't we do more? The belief that we can eradicate poverty. We need more organizations to believe that this is possible. I think also Global Citizen has evolved as an organization when it didn't have to. And I'm looking at the leadership team here. I think that's powerful when you're successful and you still ask, what more can I be doing? What am I willing to experiment with? It drives some tremendous outcomes. And from a Cisco perspective, we've always been this believer in the beautiful power of engagement. We know that we're better as a company when our employees are engaging, when they're leading the way, when they're experimenting, and you have leadership supporting them as well. And as I see the Global Citizen model, I love that, that bottoms-up, top-down motion, because I think that's how you really drive change.
And it really thrives on community engagement. So thanks to the global citizens of the world, really, right? Let's talk about digital inclusion. So it's an essential element needed for both governments and people around the world to thrive. It is a form of education, advocacy, human freedom. But as a leader in tech, can you describe how building digital inclusion as part of infrastructure is essential to the growth of countries and communities? And then how do you see that role of public-private partnerships in accelerating that progress?
Yeah, it's such a great question. I think sometimes you say the words digital inclusion and you lose people. But think about the individuals that benefit from digital inclusion. And I don't know if she's in the room, but our last Cisco Youth Global Citizen winner is a woman by the name of Esther Kimani. And what Esther is doing is she's using technology, she's using AI, Oh, she's here. She's right there. Esther, it's so good to see you. So what she's doing is she's using technology to help farmers find, detect disease, pests, and she's working— the last time we talked about it, she was working with hundreds of thousands of farmers. Who knows what she's doing now? But this is a beautiful example of how technology can touch individuals. I think when I look at it from a larger scale perspective, digital inclusion means access to healthcare, access to education. Sometimes digital inclusion can even be those transportation projects that allow people access. And so as a company, we work with about 50 countries around the world running about 1,600 digital projects. And the beautiful thing for us to see is the impact on citizens, the future that it creates, and being able to do it with a partner like Global Citizen is amazing.
And that community approach is so important. And I love seeing innovation that is rooted in local realities because I actually think that's where some of the best innovation thrives. I want to ask you, Fran, as AI becomes a defining force for economies everywhere, the real question is who will have the digital skills to participate? And who will be left out? We know that digital divides, and everyone's talking about it, especially those that are gender-based divides. This is widening in so many places. So what does it take to scale skilling in a way that truly closes that gap?
I think we have to acknowledge that there is a digital divide today, and I think we have to acknowledge that it's going to take a tremendous amount of work for us to not only address it, but to bring people forward, especially as technology continues to evolve. And so if you think about it today, on the continent of Africa, 62% of people are not connected, which impacts their livelihood, their access to work, to education. And what we know with AI is that could continue. But there is a way for us to look at this from an opportunity perspective. At Cisco, one of the big technology focus areas for us is cybersecurity, and it's critical for countries and companies around the world. Today, there are about 4 million security roles that are not filled, and the reason for that is we don't have the talent. The other thing that's interesting is those 4 million roles, half of them are entry-level, and so if we can bring the skills to communities, we create amazing careers for people. And so I'd say first, it's all about skilling. And I think all of us today have to realize we're learners. Mm-hmm. And we're gonna have to learn more and more. And I just think we have to get rid of this idea that we've arrived, because the tech is gonna force us to really rethink everything that we do. And so I think that that's gonna be a critical element. Now, as we think about the gender divide, and I'm so happy that you asked this question, not surprised. It's real. There are so many places in tech where we celebrate numbers like 30% are women, and we can't be satisfied with that either. If I think about that cybersecurity example, sadly, on the African continent, only 9% of cyber professionals, security professionals, are women. Around the world, that number is just 25%. And so there's so much more that we have to do. We have a beautiful example right now in South Africa where STEM training, the teachers are 50% women. Guess what? So are the students. That's a beautiful example of something that we can lean into.
And what I love about that is that you're framing, you know, this workforce as a possibility, and, and it gives people a sense of hope. Actually, it's the opposite way of looking potentially people across the Global South as people who are waiting for handouts or looking for need, and— but actually placing them as the future of our own success. So thank you so much for framing it that way. Fran, I just want to thank you so much for doing this panel with me. It is always such a pleasure to speak to you. I'd love to give her a big round of applause if we can.
