Girls run the world.Even before singer Beyonce’s hit song, this phrase already enjoyed worldwide attention. Across Nigeria, it is synonymous with another popular phrase: “What a man can do, a woman can do better.” As great these might seem for the advancement of the fairer sex, the figures in education, economic empowerment and even access to Information and Communication Technology prove that it would take a lot more effort for women to truly run the world.
ED, WITIN, Martha Alade, Director of Education, Ministry of Women Affairs & Poverty Alleviation, Mrs. Yetunde Akin-Taylor, ?MD, Intel West Africa, Olubunmi Ekundare, ED, Junior Achievement Nigeria(Partner), Ehizefua Edeh and ED, Women Technology Empowerment Center (Partner), Oreoluwa Lesi at the Intel “She Will Connect” Media Capacity Training session with Female ICT reporters in Lagos.
One in four girls in developing countries is out of school. Women perform 60 percent of the world’s work, produce 50 percent of the world’s food, but earn ten percent of the income and own only one percent of the world’s assets. With these facts, it is not surprising that according to Intel’s 2013 Women and the Web Report, women make up minority of the world’s internet users.
According to the report, nearly 25 percent fewer women than men are online in emerging markets. This represents 200 million fewer women than men who are online today. This gender gap is highest in Sub-Saharan Africa with 43%, followed by the Middle East and North Africa with 34%, South Asia with 33%, Europe and Central Asia with 29%, East Pacific and Asia with 20% and Latin America and the Carribean with 10%.
These alarming figures, coupled with Intel’s objectives to increase access to, and affordability of technology to improve everyday life, led to the birth of theIntelShe Will Connect Programme,which has digitally empowered over 6,000 girls and women for free across the country since its launch in 2013.Intel’s Manager for Nigeria and the West African Region, Mr. Olubunmi Ekundare at the recently concluded capacity building workshop for female ICT journalists, said that Intel through SWC, hopes to reach fivemillion women and girls across Africa by 2016.His words: “Here at Intel, we believe that smart girls are the equivalent of a smart world.
Technology and access to the internet are essential to women empowerment across the continent, and instrumental to overcoming barriers such as poverty, illiteracy and discrimination. SWC hopes to have reached five million women and girls across Africa by 2016. This would empower them to get and stay online and help others like them, thereby reducing the gender gap by 50%.”Ekundare also added that bridging the gender gap is not something Intel can do alone, hence the company’s partnership with international organizations, nongovernmental organizations and various arms of government. Also speaking, Intel Nigeria’s Corporate Affairs manager, Mr. Babatunde Akinola, said that from the SWC experience, he had seen first-hand the positive impact that ‘being connected’ provides to women and girls.His words: “Women and girls who have access to the internet have increased self confidence, more job and income opportunities, better access to education and health care resources, as well as financial information and government services.
Without a doubt, improved technology access spurs technology advancement and broadens economic growth.”Female journalists who attended the one-day training held recently, were given some insight into Intel Easy Steps which forms the core of the SWC training. A basictechnology literacy education programme, it is for adult learners with little or no experience with computers.
Through active hands on experience, participants learn to explore and use basic computer applications that can be used in everyday life.When Face to face trainings are not feasible, the SWC’s online learning platform is the first of its kind web based interactive platform to teach literacy and impact beyond Face to Face training. It leverages on storytelling and gaming methods by incorporating communities and networking. It also focuses on increasing relevance of internet to women and application of skills.
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