The Nigerian Government says its strategic objective of bridging the digital gender gap, in line with the implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), is yielding positive results toward the development of the digital economy in the country.
The Director General of Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa has stated this while declaring open, the ‘One-Day Free Training on Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship’ in Abuja, as part of activities to commemorate the 2023 International Women’s Day.
The event’s theme, “Digital Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality,” was aimed at training women between the ages of 18 and 30 on Digital Marketing and 3D printing.
Represented by Dr Usman Gambo Abdullahi, Director IT Infrastructure Solutions, Inuwa noted that the policy implementation was increasingly recording success by ensuring that the digital skills training programme incorporated children, women, internally displaced persons, and the physically challenged.
He emphasised that women are the best teachers of digital transformation and education, adding that the agency had taken many steps to drive the nation’s prosperity by boosting digital innovation for women and creating an enabling environment that maximises the potential of all Nigerian women.
According to the NITDA Boss, the population of females in Nigeria was about 104 million, and the country had much to gain by facilitating the inclusion of women in the technological industry and bridging the digital gender divide.
Inuwa further revealed that the Agency has implemented several strategic programs and initiatives, with over 4.4 billion dollars invested in the last four years.
While describing women as the best teachers on digital transformation and education, Inuwa said, “If you are looking for an innovator and you find a woman, you have gotten one. Because the first teacher that one gets is his mother and a mother remains with us from that cradle”
“Some of our key initiatives designed to support technology innovation are the key technology. I mean the technology, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Support Schemes. These have translated into the creation of a vibrant innovation ecosystem that have created over 35,000 direct jobs.”
PIAK
