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Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, including a Non- Governmental Organization, Odyssey Education Foundation,OEF, have urged the president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to prioritize digital literacy and entrepreneurship for the girl child, as part of efforts geared towards reducing the high unemployment rate in Nigeria.
Speaking at a pitch event on technology and entrepreneurship for schools, Tuesday, Tallen, while reiterating the importance of digital technology in the era of globalization, bemoaned the low rate of participation of Nigerian women in tech related areas.
For instance, she said that in cloud computing only 12 per cent of professionals are women, and in engineering, only 26 per cent as captured by Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report 2020.
Tallen, who was represented by the Chief welfare officer, Ministry of Women of Affairs, Iweanya Priscilla, stressed that encouraging the girl child to engage in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), would make the country a major attraction to the world.
She said: “Studies have shown that there is a gender gap in STEM both in Nigeria and globally. Encouraging girls to pursue STEM education and careers can make them become role models for future generations and break stereotypes and barriers .
“Federal Ministry of Women affairs in an effort to improve on the information in the place of girls and women occupy in Science and Technology has embark on awareness creation campaign to promote Girl – Child education especially in STEM.
“Nigeria must prepare her girls to tap into ICT opportunities by allowing them to learn component of ICT development and Computer Science for a successful career in the ICT sector and advanced digital skills.”
On her part, the Founder of Odyssey Educational Foundation and Chapter Ambassador of Technovation Girls, in Abuja, Stella Uzochukwu-Denis, said the Foundation has put in efforts to promote technovation among girl child by organizing pitch event in technology and entrepreneurship for schools.
She disclosed that the foundation was created to increase the number of females studying and applying for STEM jobs among young people in Nigeria, adding that it is aimed at accelerating the technological and industrialization of low and middle income African nations, as well as to close the gender gap.
“We’re here today to honor the bright young girls who created mobile apps to address some of the most pressing problems in our society, like encouraging girl child education, offering mentorship, putting an end to human trafficking, ending early marriages, and providing basic necessities to the underprivileged in Abuja, Nigeria.
“The Technovation challenge is an excellent initiative that encourages young women to use technology to make the world a better place. Over the years, girls have created smartphone apps to address a range of societal challenges, such as educational gaps, hunger and poverty, gender inequality, corruption, environmental disasters, and more”, she said.
Speaking to our correspondent, one of the participants, Olorunfemi Faith, said that the program has informed her about technology and innovation.
“I joined the program, I became more informed about technology and about innovation gave me the ability to identify problems that actually rampages I never actually goes on check revisions, it is the best means to bridge the gap which is mostly dominated by men, making them to demean the efforts and the capabilities of women. As a woman and as a tech entrepreneur. I would advise that you join Technovation.
It will give you more enterprising skills and eviction skills and teach you how to be a problem solver in future and presently,” she stressed.
Vanguard
