NCC Reaffirms Determination to Close Gender Gap in Tech

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has reiterated its unwavering commitment to bridging the growing gender-oriented digital divide to accelerate inclusive economic prosperity for all Nigerian citizens.

The Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Mr Umar Garba Danbatta, restated this commitment in Lagos at the 2022 Nigerian Women Entrepreneurs and Executives in Tech Summit (WEETS).

He said the promotion of gender equality is a significant component of ICT development, adding that the gender dimensions of ICT manifest in access and use, capacity-building opportunities, employment and potential for empowerment.

Mr Danbatta said that all these dimensions need to be explicitly identified and addressed to leverage technology and communication as powerful catalysts for women’s political, economic, and social empowerment and the promotion of gender equality.

Speaking about the theme of the event, Reskilling Women and Girls to Thrive in the Digital Economy, Mr Danbatta, represented by NCC’s Head, Digital Media Management, Mrs Nafisa Usman Rugga, said the theme resonates deeply with the drive by the federal government to ensure an all-inclusive digital economy that drives the strategic vision plan of the commission.

Mr Danbatta indicated that one of the ways through which the NCC strives to achieve inclusive growth is through increased digital connectivity to all, regardless of gender and other accidental circumstances, and that the agency has continued to play a front-seat role in driving the implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), 2020-2030; the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP), 2020-2025; and related policies aimed at deepening connectivity for all citizens, thereby bridging digital gender disparity.

“The NCC has put on the front burner the need to expose girls and young women to more opportunities in the digital ecosystem, in line with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) resolution 70, which advocates gender mainstreaming and promotion of gender equality, as well as the empowerment of women through information and communications technology (ICT), and we are fully committed to this,” Mr Danbatta said.