Females enrolling to study ICT-related courses at the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), Abuja are now more than the number of males doing so, the institute’s administrator, Dr Ike Adinde, has said.
Dr Adinde disclosed this during the commemoration of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Girls in ICT Day held at the Abuja Campus of the institute, yesterday.
“I want to use this occasion to encourage young ladies that the future is at their feet and technology has no gender. It is gladdening to note that more females are enrolling for ICT and innovation programmes. Though the margin between male and female in ICT is still wide, with current redefinition of global thinking, in no distant time this gap will be eliminated,’’ the DBI boss said.
He said the history and development of computing globally is replete with women who had blazed the trail in innovation.
“From Augusta Ada Kings, Countess of Lovelace who was noted for her work on Charles Babbage’s proposed mechanical general-purpose computer; the analytical Engine to Lady ‘ADA’ who programming language is named in her honour, many women have been deeply involved in developing innovative software solutions,” he said.
“Here in Nigeria, we cannot forget the effort of Mrs. Florence Seriki of Omatek Computers who built one of Africa’s foremost computers, OEM, and Mrs. Funke Opeke of MainOne Cable Company. MainOne, is a communications infrastructure services and data management company with presence across several countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
“Also worthy of mention is Evelyn Granville who was one of the foremost African-American female computer scientists and mathematician who, while working with IBM, had the responsibility of developing software that examined satellite for the US Mercury space programmes and further worked on calculating orbits for the computation and Data Reduction Centre,” he said.
A number of women who are doing great work in the field of ICT made presentations to encourage about 50 secondary school girls that attended the occasion.
The theme for this year’s Girls in ITU ICT Day is ‘Expanding Horizons, Change Attitude’.
It seeks to encourage girls to reach beyond societal norms, hindrances and perceptions and take insightful look into the opportunities offered by ICT and become world changers by developing innovative solutions, products and services.
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