Managing Director of Inq. Digital Nigeria, Valentine Chime, has stressed the need to encourage females to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) for greater development of the country.
He stated this at this year’s International Girls in Information and Communication Technology (ICT Day), saying that the ceremony was observed in over 166 countries across the globe and that the initiative was organised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
The event is celebrated yearly to create a global environment that empowers and encourages girls and young women to consider careers in ICT.
At the 2022 STEM Future for Girls event with the theme: Access And Safety, which was attended by communication regulators, private sector operators, women STEM leaders in Nigeria, academics, and policymakers, speakers stressed the importance of providing safety for girls and young women to thrive and participate in STEM as a way to close the equality gap in the sector.
Read Also: FCMB, Mastercard Foundation partner to lift 100,000 Nigerian MSMEs
Commenting on the event, Valentine Chime said: “It has never been more expedient for girls and women to embrace tech as a career path and inspire the next generation of female technologists.”
He stressed the significance of women’s involvement in STEM fields to Inq., and the manner in which this commitment is exhibited through the company’s purposeful focus on the recruitment of women in technical roles within the organisation, adding that Inq.’s support for initiatives such as Girls in ICT Day, which helps to highlight the essential purpose, is to build a world in which there would be no gender discrimination when it comes to the progress of STEM fields.
Managing Director of e-Business Life Communications Limited, organisers of the girls-in-ICT Day event, Mrs Ufuoma Emuophedaro, stated that while there had been some progress with women’s participation in STEM, the ratio of women choosing careers in STEM to those choosing careers traditionally expected of women remains low.
She encouraged everyone present and all agencies to be a part of training events and help support organisations that are working to make sure women have opportunities in the STEM sector.
The event had numerous fascinating activities, such as a quiz and video competition, a roundtable discussion with the girls on their challenges regarding STEM subjects and an award presentation to several agencies for their continuous support for females in ICT.
Inq. Digital Nigeria received the ICT Girls Advocacy Awards for the ongoing support it provides for programmes that encourage women to pursue careers in STEM fields. Upon being presented with the award, Inq. further made a commitment to maintain its support of the STEM project by continuing to push equality within its workforce and also supporting initiatives pushing the progression of women in the ICT world.
