Over 10,000 women, including Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) have been trained by the Federal Government on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to improve national productivity.
The ICT Director, National Centre for Women Development (NCWD), Mr Morrison Udobong, disclosed this at the closing ceremony of a five-day entrepreneurial training for the blind, deaf and hard of hearing in Abuja, recently.
Udobong said that the training was also a strategy to empower and end gender based violence in the country.
He noted that although ICT was male dominated, there was the need to encourage more women, particularly girls to engage in science and ICT based subjects, and consider a future in technology.
He explained further that the training was also to expose Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to ICT, enable them integrate well in the society and promote access to healthcare and other services.
“Over the years, we have trained over 10,000 women on various ICT courses and feedback from monitoring officers showed they are all doing well in their chosen endeavours.
“During this programme, participants with disabilities were exposed to various computer aided and adaptive technologies required to educate, raise self esteem, integrate and empower them to be useful and productive in their endeavours,” he said.
Director-General, NCWD, Dr Asabe Vilita-Bashir, who threw more light on the training, said that about 65 blind and deaf women across the country graduated from the training.
“This is aimed at exposing the participants to various ICT applications, tools and techniques which have the potential to make significant improvement in the lives of persons with disabilities.
“This allows participants to enhance their social, cultural, political and economic integration in communities by enlarging the scope of activities available to them”, she said.
Vilita-Bashir noted that the training would also empower rural women economically and make them more productive and self-reliant.
“We will continue to advocate the rights and needs of persons with disabilities and foster the effective use of ICTs that are accessible, adaptive and affordable.
“ICT has now been recognised as the driving force and primary gadget for almost all progressive knowledge-based and skills-oriented development activities and initiatives in all spheres of human endeavor.
“ICT is the catalyst for change in working conditions, handling and exchanging of information, teaching methods, learning approaches, scientific research and in accessing information,” she added.
Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Pauline Tallen, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr Adebiyi Olufunsho, stressed the need for the society to acknowledge the challenges of PWDs and accommodate them.
Also, Ms Anne Mukudi, representing African Development Bank, encouraged participants to use the skills and knowledge acquired to develop themselves and feature in the ICT world.
President, National Association of Blind, Abuja chapter, Mr Joseph Agada, expressed appreciation to the Federal Government for supporting PWDs and appealed for more employment for members.
Ms Uche Andrew, who spoke on behalf of the participants, assured the government that they would make judicious use of the laptops and skills acquired to further develop themselves on ICT.
“Before now, we used to see, feel and hear about laptops without knowing how to operate it, but this training has given us the required skills to be self reliant, able to use and access information from it”, she said.