By Moses Nosike

Experts at the just concluded 7th National Conference, 8th AGM following the 10th anniversary and 5th election of the Nigerian Women In Information Technology ( NIWIIT) held in Lagos, had clamoured for girls, women education in information technology in order to harness the opportunities in IT space, seeing that IT has become part of human operations.

Also, understanding the role of IT in women development, NIWIIT has made a commitment to engage public secondary school girls and women on technological skills between 2022 to 2026, as part of the group project to build a more viable nation.

However, during the panel session, the four panelists drawn from different sectors advised on the need for more women inclusion in the fast growing Information Technology space in spite of their peculiar challenges.

In her welcome address, the President of  NIWIIT, Mrs. Dele Bayo Osibo emphasizing on this year’s theme:  “Unleashing Innovations: Scaling Up Digital Skills For Women And Girls” said since aftermath of Covid-19, we have the digital technologies that have advanced more rapidly than any innovation, the world over, in recent history.

According to her, this phenomenon has reached around 50 percent of the developing world’s population and transforming societies. “By enhancing connectivity, financial inclusion, access to trade and public services. Advances in digital technologies hold considerable potential to change the trajectory of productivity and economic growth, and create new and better jobs, to replace old ones and new ways”.

Osibo also acknowledged the fact that there are many children who are less privileged and do not have resources to acquire digital skills simply because their parents could not afford it, hence NIWIIT  has become tireless in building on advocacy on 18 strategic structures in the Southwest for collaboration over the years to develop the young Girls and women more on technological skills.

The Keynote Speaker,Mrs. Funke Opeke appealed to government to encourage more in training the public school teachers of the nation in educating students on technology adding to the quality of education in Nigeria.

Opeke said that Nigeria young women are energetic enough to grab available opportunities when they are exposed to digital empowerment in education without discrimination and when government support the public sector.

Continuing, she said that the world is driven by digital technology and it is amazing how much more innovation there is and how our lives and habits are changing as a result.

In the same vein,  the President of Nigeria Computer Society (NCS),Prof. Adesina Simon Sodiya congratulated the group at the 10 years anniversary and commended for a job well-done on women & Girls empowerment on ICT in Nigeria. He said that even NCS has been contributing so much on ICT of the nation for about 40 years and the government agencies do not appreciate the organisation because NCS has sent series of proposal to INEC so as to evaluate sex with technological device and ready to serve as a technological observer but it was to no avail.

 And he buttressed that no nation can develop properly without a total digital transformation.

Sodiya encourages NIWIIT to involve grassroots women and girls on IT development, for the next Oil boom is surely IT when you catch them young from Nursery and Primary Schools,Secondary and Tertiary Institutions for all Girls to be on their feet.

In addition, MD NIGCOMSAT LTD, Dr. Abimbola Alale advised that more advocacy should be encouraged among professional bodies in the nation so as to enable women be attracted to digital conference and building a gender balance.