Danbatta advocates inclusion of young girls, women in ICT

Decries gender gap in ICT sector

The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Prof Umar Danbatta has called for the inclusion of Girls in the ICT in line with the United Nations’ effort to empower girls in tech and close the digital gender gap.

Speaking at the maiden edition of the Nigerian Girls Can Code Competition (NGCQ Award Ceremony yesterday in Abuja, Danbatta stated that it has become imperative to empower women and young girls through the emergence of sustainable inclusive entrepreneurship to harness digital technology to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs in line with the Declaration on the Decade of Action and Delivery on Sustainable Development.

He noted that gender inequalities remain deeply entrenched in every society adding that women lack access to decent work and face occupational segregation and gender wage gaps.

Danbatta who was the Executive Commissioner, Technical Services Communications Commission Engr. Ubale Maska observed that empowering women and girls will fuel thriving economies, and spur productivity and growth.

He said, “Every year, young people from around the globe use different lends of tools to showcase their ICT will. We believe that critical societal problems can be solved using technologies such as artificial intelligence, the internet of things and data analytics Application of these emerging technologies in agriculture has the potential to increase both the operational efficiency of farmers and the yield of the land. There is also an increased possibility for targeted application of farm inputs and resources thus reducing cost and increasing yields. It will provide a competitive edge needed by farmers in terms of accurate decision-making, improved productivity, and efficiency”.

According to him, the competition has been designed to enhance digital literacy and skills for the country’s emerging digital economy, bridge digital inequality, improve digital access as well as narrow the digital divide between men and women in ICT innovation and development.

Danbatta said that with the advent of 5G network and its ongoing deployment in Nigeria, the opportunities for girls in ICT are endless.

In his own speech, Executive Commissioner, Technical Services Communications, Engr. Ubale Maska said that the competition was meant to specifically empower Nigerian girls and spark their interest in ICT as a career path, by coaching them in the development of codes and applications

He observed that the competition addresses the challenge of digital inequality brings equity and narrows the digital gap between men and women in ICT.