Empower women, girls through ICT – FIDA

Tina Amanda

International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Rivers State, has reiterated the need for young girls to be more technologically inclined as it will lead to gender equity.

Chairperson FIDA Rivers, Adata Bio-Briggs, stated this during a Town hall meeting with the Abuloma community women, Port Harcourt, organsied by FIDA to commemorate International Women Day, said more girls learning tech skills at a young age will set them up for economic independence, as the ICT sector needs more girls and women.

She explained that the importance of young girls getting involved in digital skills is to build financial independent women, adding that jobs of the future will be driven by technology and innovation.

Bio-Briggs said information, communication and technology are key drivers of our increasingly global and digital-driven society, noting it would be best to cultivate digital skills into young women and girls.

“The meeting with the Abuloma community women is in line with the theme of the International Women’s Day. We saw the need to get more girls into technology, it is the right step in ensuring gender equity

“We have all been asked to embrace gender equity and more young girls into tech will also create room to increase earning power and increasing earning powers will remove lot of families from poverty,” she said.

The FIDA Chairperson also called for the need to increase women participation in politics as only few women came out to take up leadership positions in the recent election, noting that the fewer women in politics the more women will continue to be marginalized.

“We want the increase of women participation in politics the results of the last presidential election shows that only three (3) percent of women will be in the next national assembly this is not good.

“We encourage women to join political parties as stakeholders and be major players in political parties this is the right step towards ensuring gender equity going forward in future elections.

“It is the only way we can get what we want as women and embrace gender equity is to have a level playing grounds. Just like the last presidential election women came out in mass to vote, and I want to commend INEC for giving priority to the elderly and pregnant women, people living with disabilities to cast their vote first.”