The Federal Government said it would intensify effort toward employing the right policies to access the benefits to be derived in a Science, Technology and Innovation (STI)-based economy.
Mr Abayomi Oguntade, the Director of Bio-Resources Technology Department, Federal Ministry of Science and Technology (FMST), made this known on Thursday in Abuja in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
“Employing right policies in science and technology will help to meet Sustainable Development Goals as it affects women and the girl-child.
“There is gender inequality in science and technology education as a result of few national policies that address gender equality the sector,’’ he said.
Oguntade said that participation of girls and women in on STI remained lower than that of men.
He said that the ministry was proactive in assisting in dissemination of all Research and Development (R&D) outputs from its agencies.
“The Gender Desk of the FMST aims at assisting in the dissemination of all R&D outputs from the agencies through initiating mentorship programmes for the girl-child and women.
“Gender mainstreaming is a new concept in the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology and the desk officers are acquiring a proper understanding of the concept.
“FMST and its agencies have several research and development outcomes which are documented but yet to be fully harnessed by women in the country, ‘’he said.
He said that girls and women in Nigeria faced worse development outcomes than their male counterparts, most importantly in the science and technology sector. (NAN)
