According to an Entrepreneurng report, the advancement of gender equality and women’s empowerment in Nigeria was highlighted at the UN on Thursday through a variety of technical inventions created by young men and women.
The International Women’s Month celebrations in Abuja had the subject “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality,” according to Ms. Beatrice Eyong, the UN Women’s Country Representative for Nigeria and ECOWAS.
Eyong observed that women make up only 22% of all engineering and technology university graduates annually, highlighting the significant gender disparity in employment and education in Nigeria’s technological sector.
This is because social norms and gender stereotypes still label positions in these industries as belonging to men, which discourages women from expressing an interest in studying and working in these fields.
Additionally, it discourages employers from selecting suitable women for these positions. She claimed that the display would highlight the inventive and digital solutions used by young people in Nigeria from various societal sectors to address various problems.
Speaking at the same event, Mr. Kashifu Inuwa, Director General of the National Information and Technology Development Agency, claimed that his organization has taught over 200,000 young people in ICT to help close the gender gap through a variety of policies and strategies.
We taught no fewer than 222,000 young people in ICT, and we think that because of our booming population and thriving entrepreneurial and tech ecosystem, we have a chance to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Parallel to this, Pauline Tallen, the minister of women’s affairs, emphasized the necessity for women and young girls to take use of technology advancements to enhance their lives and close the gender gap in all fields.
Tallen, represented by Director of Women’s Development Funke Oladipo, also emphasized the importance of empowering women and girls with access to technology, digital literacy, and business support.
Additionally, Microsoft Nigeria’s Country Manager, Mrs. Ola Williams, stated that the company had teamed up with the Federal Government to train five million youngsters through the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy to advance technical advancements.
According to Williams, this would increase the company’s access to markets, the proper tools and resources, and jobs.
“Any technology developed today can truly be accessed by anyone in the globe since the world has become a global village. Hence, she added, “We are also offering methods to employment beyond only providing skilling coaching.”
The display of technological breakthroughs on gender issues by young men and women, as well as tech apps, are some of the events’ other features.
A lawyer and a person with hearing loss, Ms. Edeh Catherine-Chinyere, created the “Voice of Disability Initiative” software, an audio translator that converts voice to text for people with hearing loss.
To assist women and girls in reporting instances of sexual and gender-based abuse, Ms. Fatima Haliru-Yahaya created the online portal “Honor of Refuge.”
In conclusion, the UN Women launched the “Buy-from-women” digital portal to connect female farmers and business owners with markets, information, and funding.
Source: The GuardianÂ
