By Ene Osang
The National Centre for Women Development (NCWD), in partnership with Tingo Mobile Limited, said it is set to launch a mobile application it called the ‘market box’, a device that keeps track of whoever uses it.
The application which would be available for users in June, aims to meet the needs of women and serve as a tool to enhance access to information regarding government programmes designed to better their lives.
The Director General of NCWD, Onyeka Onwenu, while speaking in Abuja at the media briefing ahead of the launch of the gender-friendly mobile applications, explained that the project was borne out of need to allow women have access to happenings at the centre and also address the security challenges of the nation.
“This is a groundbreaking event that will impact the lives of women and everyone in Nigeria. You all know the security situation in the country and even before that, we have recognised that violence against women is on the increase.
Most times, we accept the security challenge and do nothing about it, but with this application you can do something about it because now you can link with that protection you are seeking at any given time as it allows one to dial a number and security offices will be notified that you are in danger and you can be located where you are,” she said.
She said the idea of the application came out of ‘thinking outside the box’, saying there was need to for individuals to help themselves in times of danger instead of waiting wholly on government.
“Can we not do more to help ourselves instead of waiting for government? With this device, we can nip the security issues in the bud by dialing the appropriate number and security agents will be able to access where it is happening,” she urged.
In his address, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Tingo Mobile Limited, Dr. Dozie Mmobuosi, said the organisation thought it wise to develop a device that would be of benefit to women.
He added that with the market box, buyers and sellers can connect and facilitate trades using their mobile phones, thereby enhancing their economic profile.
“We are partnering with the National Centre for Women Development on this device. We didn’t want a messenger device that would just be used for chats only. We needed to develop and deploy applications which would directly impact upon and improve the lives of women and youths in the country. The device can also be used as a tracking device, especially when you want to know the particular location of someone,” he said.
