The TechHer Executive Director, Chioma Agwuegbo, has called on relevant stakeholders to support more girls and women to acquire Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills.
The organisation, in collaboration with Plan International Nigeria, recently launched a six-month tech skill mentorship programme for secondary school students in Abuja, the country’s capital.
According to Agwuegbo, the programme seeks to provide women and girls with access to skills and opportunities for personal development and economic growth.
The tech ecosystem in Africa’s most populous country is mainly dominated by men, and only a very few women are actively involved in the sector.
Therefore, bridging the gap between male and female participation in the technology sector remains a huge challenge for stakeholders.
‘The gap in this area continues to widen, and we must deliberately close it by supporting more girls and women to grow their Information and Communication Technology skills and be prepared for the job market’, Agwuegbo said at the launch of the project.
‘Tech continues to revolutionise human activities, and the Covid-19 pandemic provided a stark reminder that digital literacy, penetration and adoption are critical for societies to advance.
‘Unfortunately, inequalities remain, and women and girls have yet to benefit from or equitably integrate into the opportunities tech provides’.
The Country Director, Plan International Nigeria, Charles Usie, spoke on reducing gender inequalities in the ICT to improve women’s economic fortunes in Nigeria.
‘We are pleased to partner with TechHer on the Digistar Tech Mentorship Programme for adolescent girls in Abuja. Through our innovative and gender programming, we remain committed to supporting ten million girls in Nigeria to learn, lead, decide and thrive’, he said.
‘Despite advances in the world today to ensure gender parity, women, especially adolescent girls, remain largely unsupported and their unique needs un-catered for, especially in technology. Women are not typical features in the world of tech’.
Students selected to participate in the programme are winners of a quiz competition organised by TechHer and Plan International to commemorate the 2022 International Day of Girls in the ICT.
Photo source: UNICEF
