The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has started a 5-day capacity building for 60 Nigerian women in Lagos tagged “Women ICT Techprenuership”.
The training is part of the government’s agency agenda to bridge the gender digital divide and promote digital literacy and skills amongst the women folk, which will ultimately help in the national vision of lifting 100 million Nigerians from poverty.
The 60 women in attendance are expected to be empowered with requisite skills needed to make them employers of labour thereby creating jobs and wealth in the country.
NITDA’s representative, Mr Segun Folayan, with the e-Government Development and Regulations department who was on ground to coordinate the training admonished the beneficiaries to ensure that knowledge acquired in the course of the training is beneficial to them in particular and the nation in general.
He stated that ‘transfer of knowledge to others who are close to them would ensure a multiplier effect of the intention of the organizer” He added that any one person trained in ICT amounts to training of about four persons which corroborates the popular belief that if you train a woman, you train a nation. He advised the participants to make the training a worthwhile.
Also, a representative of Sen. Oluremi Tinubu whose senatorial district hosts the event, Hon Wahab Alawiye Kings eulogised the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Pantami and the Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa for their unrelenting effort in bridging the digital divide across gender line.
While encouraging the trainees to pay more attention to every details, Hon Alawiye emphasized that the world we live in today is run by ICT and acquisition of ICT skill has become imperative. He expressed optimism that the outcome of the training would be impactful and beneficial to the trainees.
Women ICT Techprenureship Training Program is an intervention program of NITDA to empower women of all ages with digital literacy skill to promote digital inclusion. It is also a major strategy in implementing the Digital Literacy pillar of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy as well as NITDA’s Strategic Road Map (2021-2024)