The Honourable Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson has charged Nigerians to join in the campaign to draw young girls into the ICT profession.
Speaking in the light of the upcoming event to mark ‘Girls In ICT Day’ in Nigeria being organised by eBusiness Life Limited, publishers of eBusiness Life Magazine, the Minister pointed out that having girls in the ICT profession should be seen as something normal.
According to the Minister, who is billed as the Special Guest of Honour at the event holding at the Golden Gate Restaurant, Ikoyi, Lagos on April 26, 2012, the campaign to have Nigerian girls in the practice should be sustained until the objective is achieved.
In her words: “Girls in ICT Day should be marked until seeing girls in ICT is not a novelty or an anomaly”
The Minister’s charge lends credence to the theme of the campaign which is “Why Leave ICT to boys, Girls can do ICT too.”
According to Mrs. Ufuoma Emuophedaro, Chief Executive Officer of eBusiness Life Limited, the campaign will further empower young girls to be more productive in the area of ICT. She pointed out that the development of manpower in the increasingly evolving industry is very crucial to bridging the digital divide which exists between developed and developing nations.
She had earlier noted that the on-going campaign is not to institute a gender competition in the ICT profession, but a means of encouraging young girls to see the profession as a non-gender sensitive one.
Mrs Emuophedaro further noted that the one-day event will mark the beginning of a sustained campaign to empower and educate young teenage girls in the area of information and communication technology.
International Girls’ 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 ?eld of information and communication technologies. The Union declared the 4th (fourth) Thursday of April every year as a day of encouragement to girls and young women to consider careers in ICT and society is reminded to support them in their choice.
Pilot projects and campaigns have been launched in a number of countries for about 20 years, with the aim to change girls’ and young women’s behaviour patterns with regard to their choice of career and to expand their spectrum of career options.
As part of the 2012 event, there will be quiz and essay competitions between female students from select secondary schools, roundtable discussion, interactive and motivational talk from renowned women ICT professionals, among others.
Individual winners and winning schools at the essay and quiz competitions will cart home prizes.
Other guests at the event which would be chaired by Ms Funke Opeke, Chief Executive Officer of Main One Cable Company, would include Mrs Florence Seriki and other notable stakeholders in the industry.