In a move aimed at closing the gender gap in Information and Communication Technology, the federal government recently lunched 12 Digital Girls ICT Clubs for girls with the objective of empowering and encouraging Nigerian girls in secondary schools to develop an early interest in ICT.
Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, who unveiled the project at the Federal Government Girls College, Bwari, Abuja disclosed that the initiative will also help demystify ICTs and project technology as a viable career option that can empower and impact positively on the future of Nigerians girls.
She revealed that the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan conceptualised and created a gender empowerment scheme titled “Girls and Women in Nigeria” with the hope of improving their capacities.
“In recognition of the power and transformative potential of the ICTs for development, the Ministry of Communication Technology is working to ensure that Nigeria leverages the power of ICTs to transit to a knowledge-based economy.
“Various global reports and statistics reveal that women and girls are grossly underrepresented in the field of ICTs. The statistics reveal that men dominate the field of ICTs more than women. According to the International Telecommunications Union, in developing countries, 16 per cent fewer women than men use the Internet, compared with only two per cent fewer women than men in the developed world,” she said.
The minister stressed the role of the ICT in bridging the digital divide among economies, adding that it plays a crucial role in the socio-economic empowerment and development of communities and nations.
Consequently, it stated that five ministries – Communication Technology, Agriculture, Works, Health and Water Resources, signed the Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Women Affairs and Finance to empower women and girls through specific interventions and services.
The clubs will teach a number of ICT skills including building websites and games, computer programming, graphics design, assembling and dissembling computers and creating short films with about 1 200 young women are initially scheduled to benefit.
