To enable Nigerian girls to ompete favourably on the global stage, ActionAid Nigeria has called on the three tiers of government and development partners to prioritize training of girls on modern digital skills.
The Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Andrew Mamedu, while speaking at a digital skills sensitization program to commemorate the Day of the Girl-Child yesterday in Abuja, mentioned that the world is a global stage and girls in the global South with requisite knowledge in modern technology may have to compete with those in the global north with little or no knowledge on digital technology.
He said, “We are in the global era, a girl-child struggling to seat on a table because she is used to siting on the floor to learn, is now going to compete with the girl-child in the global north that has access to modern technology, internet and even artificial intelligence; these girls are going to compete at the global stage”
“Nigerian government and development partners must work to ensure that girls are prepared; we need to work together because we cannot be lagging behind. Nigeria needs to dive into the current technology. All the tiers of government must join hands to ensure that the girl-child is more involved in the digital modern technology and that they are not left behind.”
Mamedu stated that ActionAid was worried that if the safe school initiative launched in 2022 was not properly implemented, the education of school children, especially the girl-child will be affected.
He said that as part of the efforts to promote a One Global Campaign on Women and girls’ issues, the organization was commemorating this year’s International Day of the Girl-Child to train them on various digital skills, stressing that it will contribute to the skills required by girls and create an opportunity for them to thrive in a digital oriented world.
“The training is streamlined around the “Empowered Girl-Child”, which contributes to the theme for this year, “Invest in Girls’ Rights: Our Leadership, Our Well-being.” So, we are using digital literacy and awareness to invest in girls’ rights, leadership and protection of their wellbeing. This will provide the opportunity to expose the girls to digital and life skills with a discussion on how girls can be safe online.”
The Country Director assured that the organization will continue to support, nurture, and empower the Girl Child, stressing the girl child must be protected from all forms of violence with a safe and inclusive environment provided for them to thrive
They called on the government to expedite action in ensuring the safe school declaration was fully implemented across schools so that education is not under continuous attack saying it’s important to invest in digital education for girls.
The Program Advisor for ActionAid, Blessing Ifemenam, said that they intend to promote their wellbeing by ensuring they have the right skills, building their confidence so that they don’t have a low self-esteem.
Giving the rate of rape, kidnapping in the country, they intend to enlighten them on their rights and also, bridge the urban-rural divide in digital skills.
