Women Urged To Embrace Digital Literacy For Economic Empowerment
Women have been advised to embrace digital literacy as an avenue for optimising their economic potentials.
Expert made the call at a workshop organised by International Centre for Regional Integration and Trade Research (ICRITR), Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka on Friday.
The theme of the workshop was “Accelerate Action for Women in Trade Using Technology”.
Prof. Ikechukwu Onyenwe, an ICT specialist said Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has limitless opportunities presented which women could leverage in trying to realise their economic aspirations.
Onyenwe called for promotion of digital literacy among women, adding that the digital space presented so many opportunities for acquiring those skills which were on high demand and also created economic opportunities.
The Guest Speaker highlighted Amazon, Alibaba and eBay as platforms women who may wish to go into trading could explore.
According to him, there are a lot of digital platforms for women to acquire skills including coding, data analysis, graphic designs, online trading and so on.
“The Nnamdi Azikiwe University signed an agreement for creation of a Silicon Hub aimed at exposing students to various skills based on their passions, talents and fields.
“It is very important for female students to leverage this opportunity towards empowering themselves,” he said.
Dr Itoro Emembolu, the Director of TechQuest STEM Academy, said women should be encouraged and empowered to embrace digital trading.
Emembolu who delivered the keynote speech said women should ensure their current interest and skills aligned with emerging trends including digital innovations.
“We need to align our interventions to their interests, there is no area of interest that you will not find a relevant online course to take or at least a physical training programme at innovation hubs,” she said.
Earlier in her address of welcome, the Director of ICRITR, Prof. Ngozi Egbuna, said the Centre organised the event as part of its contribution to the economic advancement of women.
Egbuna said the focus of any intervention should be on accessibility, skill acquisition and removal of barriers related to culture, family, misinformation and cybersecurity.
“Speakers of international repute were invited to reflect on opportunities, challenges, barriers and intervention strategies as it concerns women’s embrace of technology.
“As a Centre, the ICRITR is working on a platform where people can market their products digitally,” she said
Prof. Michael Ezenwa, the Dean of Faculty of Social Sciences appreciated the Director of the Centre and her team for organising the workshop while calling for its sustenance.
Ezenwa said there was a need to appreciate the role of women in the lives of individuals and society as they were a special species in terms of resilience, talent and multitasking.
He advised women to be mindful of the need to balance their career pursuits with their responsibilities in the home front, as it was critical
“We need to ensure that women are well supported, the Faculty of Social Sciences shall continue to support and identify with your programmes,” he said.
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Other Speakers at the event were
Prof. Uche Nwogwugwu, the Director of Institute of Social Policy at Nnamdi Azikiwe University and Prof. Frank-Collins Okafor, the immediate past Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences.
