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The Women in Technology Awards Ceremony, hosted in Dubai, was the first event of its kind in the region, and was well attended, with over 100 women in the science and technology fields. Meera Kaul, chairwoman of the award selection jury, and founder of Women in Technology, said at the ceremony: “It is a cause close to my heart and to the hearts of a lot of women who suffer workplace bias as we compete in our careers with men. As women, we are appalled at the fact that we are not encouraged to take up some careers as those are labeled to be for men.”
Of the twelve women nominated for awards, eleven were alumnae of the TechWomen program, which empowers the next generation of women leaders in the technology field by bringing together women in Northern California with their counterparts in the Middle East, North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa for a professional mentorship and exchange program at leading technology companies. Bih Janet Shufor Fofang (Cameroon), a TechWomen alumna, spoke at the ceremony And Abeer Dawood Abu-Ghaith, an alumna of the International Visitor Leadership Program, won the award for Best Technology Enabler and Facilitator.