The Gender Perspective and Social Development Centre (GPSDC), an NGO, on Thursday, urged the Federal Government to prioritise digital empowerment for women and girls to drive national development.
The GPSDC Executive Director, Mrs Eucharia Anekwe, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka, as part of the 2023 International Women’s Day celebration.
NAN reports that the Day is marked annually on March 8, in recognition of women’s achievements; both politically and socially, while calling for gender equality.
This year’s event has the theme: “Embrace Equity and DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality”.
Anekwe urged the government to come up with a policy thrust that would empower women and girls with skills in the information and communication technology (ICT) space.
According to her, Nigerian women are lagging behind, technologically.
“There is need for an inclusive technology and digital education for women and girls to address the digital gender divide in our country.
“When women are digitally empowered, it will help them to explore opportunities in the ICT, translating them to innovators and community transformers.
“Empowering women digitally in the agriculture sector will help improve food security in the nation.
“So, government has a role to institute a policy on ICT skills for women and girls to measure up with their male counterpart.
“This will give room for inclusion, harmony and unity in the society,” she said.
Anekwe, therefore, called on women to be involved in the ICT space to enhance their economic viability.(NAN)
