Remove gender barriers  in ICT- Mrs Akeredolu

By Maria Famakinwa
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The wife of Ondo State Governor, Arabinrin Betty Anyanwu – Akeredolu has again stressed the need to remove the gender barriers to Information Communication and Technology (ICT) to promote equal training opportunities in the field.

She made the call during the launching of Hernovation at the Tech Hub of the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), at  the weekend.

Delivering a keynote address on “The Role of Women in Driving The Digital Economy, she revealed that the World Bank report on preview of the development of ICT in Africa and Nigeria so far shows that Africa is fast recording astronomical advancement in the adoption and use of ICT in the private and public sectors.

Mrs Akeredolu said in order to bridge the gap in ICT, she launched the “BEMORE Summer Boot camp for Girls Naija” in 2017 through her privatly founded Betty Anyanwu -Akeredolu Foundation (BAAF) which has produced 750 young girls with newly acquired skills in ICT and Solar technology adding that the BEMORE girls are now highly proficient in ICT and solar technology.

She observed that multi-stakeholders’ cooperation is needed to develop tools and policies that support national and international efforts with an effective sharing of best practices to address digital gender disparities.

In his welcome address, the Vice Chancellor of FUTA, Prof Joseph Fuwape described the First Lady as a mother who is always passionate about things that impact on the female gender and drives digital and eco system across the state.

In his speech, the Executive Director of Akure Tech Hub, Mr Abraham Akpan, explained that Hernovation is the umbrella project of the Akure Tech Hub for the empowerment and development of women and girls in the state.

The goal of Hernovate, according to him is to bridge the digital and socio-economic divide against women, thereby promoting inclusion and development as he added that the project is targeted at reaching 500,000 women and girls by 2025.