Women in ICT: Empower Women, Create the Future Breaks New Ground

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Empower Women, Create the Future Breaks New Ground

Jidaw Systems (Jidaw) celebrated 100 years of International Women’s Day in 2011 through a special session on the Advancement and Empowerment of Women through ICTs during its March 2011 FREE IT Career Seminar. Empower Women, Create the Future

The Empower Women, Create the Future Session proved to be revealing and exciting at Jidaw's FREE IT Career Seminar on Saturday, March 12, 2011. Miss Nosa Onaiwu of Jidaw Systems delivered the lead presentation during the session. The presentation celebrated Women in general for their contribution to humanity while acknowledging that a sustainable world is dependent on the empowerment of women.

Nosa Onaiwu delivering her presentation

Advancement and Empowerment of women with ICTs

Jidaw Systems has chosen to use Information and Communications Technology (ICT) as a tool, a weapon of positive change. And Jidaw also pursues this agenda in the area of empowermenmt of women. As a force for change, Jidaw promotes and supports efforts that will lead to the advancement and empowerment of women with ICTs. On the 100th anniversary of Women's Day, the seminar provided an opportunity to spread awareness on this important issues of gender equality and the empowerment of women.

The advancement and empowerment of women with ICTs was therefore the focus of the presentation delivered by Nosa Onaiwu. The presentation celebrated Women who had achieved in the IT world - their names and achievements were mentioned - Mrs Florence Seriki (Founder, Omatek Computers), Professor Nike Osofisan (Former President, Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN)), Mrs Jibike Itegboje (Forner Director MIS, Yaba Collebge of Technology), Mrs Ibukun Odusote (Permanent Secretary, Fderal Government of Nigeria) and many others.

All male participants at the seminar Standing up for Women as a mark of respect for women to honour the efforts and contributions of women

Also celebrated were female Jidaw Alumni, students who had made significant impact in ICT: Fadele Ifeoluwa Oluwatobiloba Winner of the 2010 IT Professionalism Award, Ruth Anok , Mrs Funmilola Omojola and Ajayi Dolapo Anuoluwa made the perfect score of 1,000 in the globally recognized CCNA exams.

There is still work to be done

While we appreciate the achievement of these amazons, a lot still needs to be done as a significant number of women are not using ICT to empower themselves. And fewer women are working in the high value areas of ICT because ICT has been given the mistaken identity of a "male" profession. The presentation ended with a call for specific measures to be taken to promote and encourage the advancement and empowerment of women with ICTs. Participants were advised to spread the word and do what they can in their own lives and careers to drive this positive change in society - because "Everyday is Women's Day".