Phase3 Telecom, West Africa’s largest independent fibre optic infrastructure and telecommunications services provider has made case for early education and consistent training to sustain active engagement of girls in the ICT space.
This is in collaboration with eBusiness Life Communications to mark the 2015 edition of the globally celebrated International Girls in ICT Day.
The Girls in ICT initiative of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is a global effort to raise awareness on empowering and encouraging girls and young women to consider studies and careers in ICTs. To date over 111,000 girls and young women have taken a part in more than 3,500 events held in 140 countries around the world.
In commemoration of the 2015 installment themed “Expanding Horizons and Changing Attitudes” Mr. Stanley Jegede, chief executive officer of Phase3 Telecom, said that early education, digitalized training as well as developing technology skills for women and harnessing those skills promptly is critical to Africa’s rapid socio-economic development and sustainability.
He adds that “one of the key elements of addressing poverty is the empowerment of women and there is no better way of doing that than ensuring the sustained representation of women in the world of technology to aid rapid socio-economic development in Africa”.
He maintained that this and building a crop of young African girls to actively participate and compete in the evolving as well as innovative global ICT space; is the basis for Phase3 Telecom’s commitment to continue to support the International Girls in ICT day initiative.
Jegede said that he was optimistic that this global evolution will gain greater influence in Africa as more and more institutions and agencies advocate ICT skills for women on the continent.
He believed that “young African girls must be encouraged early to see the advantages and dividends of the dynamic and fast-evolving-sector”.
He commended eBusiness Life commitment to the initiative year-on-year to mentor and support girls who have keen interest in walking the ICT career path whether in engineering, design, operations or research. It is notable that in West Africa, women are significantly under-represented across the board in ICT sector – from education and training programs right through to high level careers both in the academia or industry.
According to Mrs. Ufuoma Emuophedaro, managing director of eBusiness Life Communication,; “the need to sensitize young girls is premised on the fact that society has unconsciously promoted the stereotypical ideals that technical discipline especially ICT based careers are best suited for the male gender.
Emuophedaro stated that, effort should be made to introduce young girls to career opportunities in technical fields in both the public and private sectors to help them have a wider range of options and contribute their quota in the industry and in the development of the economy.
She added that the ICT Girls’ Day 2015 workshop and attending campaign will further open up opportunities for girls in the sector.