In commemoration of the International Women’s Day (IWD), the Young Innovators of Nigeria (YIN) is advancing its advocacy to ensure gender parity in the Information Communication Technology (ICT) field.
Mr Andrew Abu, the President of the group, who disclosed this in Abuja, said that YIN would be spreading the advocacy through its TechX Innovation Hub in Enugu and discuss issues on gender balancing, the role of stakeholders, among other topics.
The IWD usually celebrated on March 8 annually is a day when women are recognised for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political affiliation.
This year’s celebration has “Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate for Change” as its theme, and focuses on innovative ways to advance gender equality, empower women in social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure.
“recently the parameters for determining the growth of any nation’s economy focused on conducive environment, education of citizens, manufacturing, innovation and
Information Communication Technology.
Abu said “women constitute half of the world’s population but more than 40 per cent of the workforce and less than 30 per cent of the IT workforce and customer base are females.
“Majority of the Information Technology industry products are designed and built by men.
“TechX innovation hub will celebrate the IWD by advancing advocacy and inspire young girls and women to consider a career in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM).
“We are deeply convinced that science and technology have the innate power to change the lives of women and lift them out of poverty.”
Abu stressed that bridging gender gap and celebrating IWD belongs to all groups, adding that it provides useful opportunity to reinforce the role of stakeholders in building a gender-balanced world.
He said that bridging the gender gap to technology education and training, equal opportunities in ICT-related fields should be promoted by all.