By Gift Okeoghene
With technology playing a role in all kinds of careers, the United Nations set aside the 24th of April to draw more attention to the need to have more girls and women in ICT.
Information and Communication Technology, ICT, comprises all the tools used to create, communicate and store data. As the world embraces the advantages of ICT, both males and females are calving careers in the fast growing job market.
However, the ratio of females to males in core ICT professionals globally is still very low when compared to other professions like Medicine and Law.
Speaking to Radio Nigeria on the importance of Girls in ICT, Miss Favour Chima narrated how she was introduced to ICT and its impact on her.
She said “I have always been curious about how computers work, I remembered begging my brother to enroll me in a computer training program, that early exposure grew my interest”.
Miss Chima said with the right motivation, girls could create solutions to global challenges using ICT.
While noting that the Nigerian girl child faces more challenges than their male counterpart, she appealed that girls should be provided the platform to showcase their talents in ICT.
“One of the major challenges I faced was self doubt and there were days I questioned if I was good enough but with consistency, practice and support from others I started gaining confidence again, I stayed consistent joines support communities and surrounded myself with mentors who believed in me” she explained.
Another respondent, Miss Ogochukwu Eke-Okocha is of the opinion that the world today needs more girls in ICT.
She said “ICT gives girls the chance to build, innovate and lead in so many areas, to make the most of it, we need to give girls access, space and encouragement they need, we need to start by showcasing more female role models in tech and providing early inclusive exposure to ICT in schools”.
As the theme for this year’s commemoration is “Girls in ICT for Inclusive Digital Transformation”, all hands must be on deck to make it a reality
