The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), yesterday in Lagos at the Nigerian Women Entrepreneurs and Executives in Tech Summit (WEETS) reiterated its unwavering commitment to bridging the growing gender-oriented digital divide to accelerate inclusive economic prosperity for all Nigerian citizens.
Speaking on behalf of the commission, NCC’s Head, Digital Media Management, Nafisa Usman Rugga, noted that the theme of the summit, “Reskilling Women and Girls to Thrive in the Digital Economy, resonates with the drive by the Federal Government to ensure an all-inclusive digital economy that drives the strategic vision plan of the Commission.
While expressing appreciation to the organizers of the summit, Techlife Media and Communications Limited, a Lagos-based media organisation, the regulatory commission noted that the gender dimensions of ICT, manifest in access and use.
The commission indicated that one of the ways through which the Commission strives to achieve inclusive growth, is through increased digital connectivity to all, regardless of gender and other accidental circumstances, and that the Commission has continued to play a front-seat role in driving the implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), 2020-2030; the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP), 2020-2025; and related policies aimed at deepening connectivity for all citizens, thereby bridging digital gender disparity.
“The NCC has put in the front burner the need to expose girls and young women to more opportunities in the digital ecosystem, in line with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) resolution 70, which advocates gender mainstreaming and promotion of gender equality, as well as the empowerment of women through information and communications technology (ICT), and we are fully committed to this,”, Danbatta said.
“Capacity-building opportunities; employment and potential for empowerment, and that all these dimensions need to be explicitly identified and addressed, to leverage technology and communication as powerful catalysts for political, economic, and social empowerment of women, and the promotion of gender equality,” it said.
Meanwhile, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta was conferred with the ‘Icon of Digital Revolution Award’ for his role in stimulating digital connectivity in Nigeria, said the promotion of gender equality is a major component of ICT development.
The organizers, while justifying the reason for conferring the award on Nigeria’s chief telecom regulator, stated that after“ reviewing the criteria set for the award, we reckon that Prof. Danbatta deserves the award for blazing the trail in accelerating digital revolution in Nigeria, especially with the historic auction of 3.5 GHz spectrum in a fair, transparent, and credible manner, and considering the various initiatives embarked upon by the Commission under his leadership, to inspire girls and women to play active roles in the evolving global digital economy,”.
