As preparations for the International Girls in ICT Day celebration advances, Nigeria’s telecom regulator, the Nigerian communications Commission (NCC) has given its nod to be part of the campaign being organised by eBusiness Life Communication Limited in Nigeria.
Also from the sectorial ICT firms, Systemspecs, VDT Communication, Vodacom Business Nigeria and Access Bank have signed on to be part of the forthcoming 8th Edition of the campaign being organised by eBusiness Life, publishers of eBusiness Life Magazine in Lagos, Nigeria.
The event with the theme: “Expand Horizons Changing Attitudes: An ICT Skilled GirlForce”, which is scheduled to hold In Lagos on April 25, 2019 in the Ballroom of the Oriental Hotel in Lekki, is part of a global campaign to encourage young girls to delve into ICT as a profession and contribute their quota to the growth of the industry in Nigeria while also actualising self-development.
International Girls’ in ICT Day is an initiative launched through ITU Resolution 70 with the idea of creating a global environment that will empower and encourage girls and young women to consider careers in the field of information and communication technologies (ICTs).
In the past seven years, eBusiness Life had organised the event annually in Nigeria, gathering young girls from different schools, to educate and sensitize them on the opportunities inherent in professions in ICT, and providing a platform for organisations to synergise on complementary ways to further the cause. Also the girls had been made to go through hands-on training on various aspects of ICT and facility visits to ICT companies to get a first-hand experience of the intricacies of the ICT firms.
Systemspecs, with its flagship solution, Remita has been able to transform the epayment arena in Nigeria, becoming a top choice for remittance of funds both in the private and public sectors of the economy. The company’s support for the campaign is stemmed on its belief in global competitiveness through manpower development.
VDT Communications, which operates a Modular Trainee Engineering Program through which it trains engineering graduates annually, says its quest to train young Nigerians is to increase their employability in the industry, especially young girls. The company had consistently partnered with the organisers on the campaign.
Vodacom Business Nigeria is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Vodacom Group and leading pan-African corporate connectivity and telecommunications provider that has brought affordable and reliable connectivity to Africa since 1992.
Access Bank Plc, which recently acquired Diamond Bank, while indicating interest in joining the campaign, noted that it will further lend its voice in highlighting the need to get young girls into the profession of the future.
According to the Chief Executive Officer of eBusiness Life Communication and convener of the event, Mrs. Ufuoma Emuophedaro, the need to sensitise young girls is premised on the fact that the society has unconsciously relegated the female gender and delegated careers in technical fields, especially in ICT, to their male counterparts.
