NCC restates commitment to gender equality in lCT ecosystem

*Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Vice-Chairman and CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission, stresses the Commission’s mandate of Broadband penetration drive to women in rural and suburban areas focuses on capacity building, employability, increased connectivity, and inclusion for gender equality across the country

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has advocated the urgent need to equip the girl child with adequate knowledge, access and use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) programmes and services for needed skills to compete in the digital space.

ConsumerConnect reports Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of NCC, reiterated the Commission’s commitment to ensuring there is a balance in the representation of females in the Information and Communications Technology  (ICT) ecosystem in the country.

School girls acquiring computer skills     File Photo 

Represented at the two-day event by Nafisa Usman Rugga, Head of Digital Media Management of the Commission, Prof. Danbatta stressed this at the recent ICT Quiz competition for Girls in Senior Secondary Schools, organised by Nigerian Women in Information Technology (NIWIIT).

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The NCC EVC/CEO said there was an urgent need to equip the girl child with adequate knowledge, access and use of Information Technology programmes and services in order to equip them the required skills to compete in the digital space.

NCC’s mandate of Broadband penetration drive to women

Danbatta further stated that the empowerment programme in commemoration of the International Girls in ICT Day aligns with the telecoms sector regulatory Commission’s mandate of Broadband penetration drive to women in rural and suburban areas for capacity building, employability, increased connectivity, and inclusion for gender equality throughout the country.

COP project and Internet safety

The NCC Executive Vice-Chairman further highlighted the Commission’s policies, projects and initiatives that show the importance of bridging gender disparity and ensuring that the Internet is a safe space for children.

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According to Danbatta, the Child Online Protection (COP) project of the Commission is aimed at educating children and their parents/caregivers on measures to safeguard themselves and their wards as they navigate cyberspace.

He also informed the audience of NCC’s commitment to re-skilling the girl child and women by collaborating with stakeholders in the ICT sector to create programmes to encourage, empower and expose them to the vast opportunities present in the digital world.

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The event, which focused on creating awareness programmes for ICT-related services and products among women in the rural and suburban areas in Nigeria, targeted special groups and students in secondary schools and tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

The Commission noted the forum ended with the presentation of gifts to the winners from the quiz competition conducted at the forum.