The University of South Africa (Unisa)’s Inhlanyelo Hub successfully hosted the inaugural certificate ceremony of its drone divas at the Unisa Sunnyside Campus, Pretoria.
The certification ceremony was held to recognize the achievements of the current cohort of women drone pilots and to underscore Inhlanyelo Hub's unwavering commitment to empowering women in technology.
The recent launch of the program elicited celebration from stakeholders, mentors, and the first cohort of eighteen exceptional women who have embarked on this transformative journey.
The Drone Divas initiative is poised to extend its impact this year, with a new cohort ready to join the ranks, advancing the mission to empower more women and harness the transformative power of drone technology to shape the future while dismantling gender barriers.
The Inhlanyelo Hub Drone Diva Programme took flight in September 2023, with a goal to empower women in aviation. The project encompasses drone pilot training, drone technology development (coding), drone industry optimization, and drone manufacturing.
In her opening remarks, Professor Zethu Nkosi, Unisa Dean for the College of Human Sciences and Inhlanyelo Hub board member indicated that “as we recently celebrated the International Women’s Day, Unisa is proud to have successfully produced the first cohort of the Inhlanyelo Hub drone pilots programme, a beacon of entrepreneurship and innovation that has taken root with the University of South Africa.”
“The programme aims to empower women in aviation and act as a catalyst for having more women participating in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics. The programme features drone pilot training, drone technology development (coding), drone industry optimization and drone manufacturing and will assist and provide opportunities in drone enterprise or rendering services with their drone pilot licenses in disaster recovery, farming, nature conservation, security, photography and mine surveying,” said Nkosi.
Professor Raphael Mpofu, interim CEO, Unisa Inhlanyelo Hub, concluded: "The programme's success serves as a testament to the organization's innovative approach in bridging the gender gap within the tech sector, providing women with practical skills and experiences in the burgeoning field of drone technology.“
Pretoria News