Women in Kaduna State have been tasked to embrace 21st-century digital literacy to promote their businesses.
The call was made by the chairperson, Women, Peace and Security of Equal Access International, Nigeria, Chikun Local Government, Grace Yohanna, at a digital training for 20 women that are into small businesses in Kaduna to mark International Women’s Day.
She however lamented that women have been left backward in the digital space and charged them to go beyond the 18th century so that they can compete favourably.
She added, “Women have a critical role to play in the digital world and when you look at those that are actually running their business, they need to upgrade and be able to be at par with their mates.
“Women need to be uplifted, they need to have a voice and they need to go beyond the 18th century to compete favourably.”
She noted that the women were introduced to an application called Canva, which they can use to promote their business and create wealth through their mobile phones.
A participant, Judith Shaiyen, said she acquired the skill of using Canva to make her products more attractive for her customers adding that, “No matter how good a product is, if it is not attractive, it cannot sell.”
Similarly, the Winbeck’s Global Initiative (WGI) has stressed that bridging the gender digital divide is a key challenge for women in the digital world.
The Executive Director, WGI, Rebecca Bilai, while presenting a paper titled ‘Digital Skills: Key to a Digital World with Equal Opportunities’, at a training for business owners, said there needs to be a join-up action by policymakers, the private sector and civil society to ensure that the potentials of the digital revolution are accessible to all.
She however stated that if the gender digital divide is not bridged, there is a risk that digital technologies will exacerbate inequalities rather than reduce them.
“According to the World Economic Forum study carried out in 2018, 78 per cent of experts in artificial intelligence (AI) are men. This places women at a disadvantage in participating to a satisfactory extent in the development of future-ready digital products.”
She stressed the need for girls to learn how to use technologies competently from primary school in order to act with confidence and responsibility in the digital world.
In her remarks, a representative of Zamani Foundation, Talatu Henry, said innovation has become crucial in today’s society as it helps solve problems and make progress.
She however highlighted that the underrepresentation of women in STEM education and careers remains a major barrier to their participation in tech design and governance.
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