Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has reaffirmed its commitment to creating enabling policies for the development, use and adoption of Digital Technology to boost women’s entrepreneurship.
This initiative was targeted at supporting and enhancing women’s standard of living across the country.
The Director-General, NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa stated this at the first edition of the ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association (ECOFEPA) Women and Youth Leadership Symposium held in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
Inuwa noted that given NITDA’s mandate, the organisation was deeply involved in various developmental initiatives.
“NITDA supported the symposium with Technology Tools that will help enhance Entrepreneurship, especially amongst Women and Youth in general,” he said.
According to the NITDA Boss,
Technology has always been a tool for creating a digital presence.
In his words, ” Without the right technological tools, we will not be able to advance as a country, economically and politically. In the light of this, NITDA is very interested and supportive of this symposium.”
Opportunities
Outlining the Agency’s opportunities that support Women and Youth Entrepreneurship, Inuwa said the Office of the Nigeria Digital Innovation (ONDI), was set up primarily to foster the growth of Technology and Innovation in Nigeria.
Kashif Inuwa was represented by the Deputy Director, Digital Economy Development Department of the Agency, Dr Amina Sambo Magaji.
The President of the ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association (ECOFEPA), Filomena Viera, stated that women and youths constitute a significant percentage of the world’s population, but they have been continually deprived in spheres of all areas of affairs.
She said this has increasingly become a source of concern that should be addressed
Viera noted the creation of relevant platforms where they can exchange ideas, and experiences and amplify best practices will go a long way to address the problem .
Donation
As part of its contribution towards the development of Women and Youth Entrepreneurship as championed by the Sub-regional Parliamentarians Association, twenty laptop computers were donated by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
The ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association (ECOFEPA) is an umbrella body of all Female members of the ECOWAS Parliaments; primarily established to assist Parliamentarians from the Sub-region using their legislative mandates to empower Women through qualitative legislation.
NITDA’s presence at the event further underscored the parastatal’s immense regard for women empowerment and efforts toward inspiring both Women and Youth Entrepreneurial skills in Nigeria, through the Agency’s mentorship guidance and technical support.
Confidence Okwuchi and Qasim Akinreti.