West Africa’s largest independent fibre optic infrastructure and telecommunications services provider – Phase3 Telecom advocates early education and consistent training to sustain active engagement of girls in the ICT space. This is in collaboration witheBusiness Life Communications to mark the 2015 edition of the globally celebrated International Girls in ICT Day.

The Girls in ICT initiative of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is a global effort to raise awareness on empowering and encouraging girls and young women to consider studies and careers in ICTs. To date over 111,000 girls and young women have taken a part in more than 3,500 events held in 140 countries around the world.

In Commemoration of the 2015 installment themed “Expanding Horizons and Changing Attitudes” the chief executive officer of Phase3 Telecom – Mr. Stanley Jegede says that early education, digitalized training as well as developing technology skills for women and harnessing those skills promptly is critical to Africa’s rapid socio-economic development and sustainability.

He adds that “one of the key elements of addressing poverty is the empowerment of women and there is no better way of doing that than ensuring the sustained representation of women in the world of technology to aid rapid socio-economic development in Africa”.

He maintains that this and building a crop of young African girls to actively participate and compete in the evolving as well as innovative global ICT space; is the basis for Phase3 Telecom’s commitment to continue to support the International Girls in ICT day initiative.

Jegede said he is optimistic that this global evolution will gain greater influence in Africa as more and more institutions and agencies advocate ICT skills for women on the continent.