Emma Okonji
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has reiterated its commitment to bridging growing gender-oriented digital divide in order to accelerate inclusive economic prosperity for all Nigerian citizens.
Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, restated the commitment at the 2022 Nigerian Women Entrepreneurs and Executives in Tech Summit (WEETS), which held recently in Lagos.
At the WEETS forum, Danbatta was conferred with the ‘Icon of Digital Revolution Award’ for his role in stimulating digital connectivity in Nigeria.
Danbatta who was represented at the forum by NCC’s Head, Digital Media Management, Nafisa Usman Rugga, said promotion of gender equality remained a major component of ICT development.
He noted that the gender dimensions of ICT would manifest in access and use; capacity-building opportunities; employment and potential for empowerment, and that all these dimensions needed to be explicitly identified and addressed, in order to leverage on technology and communication as powerful catalysts for political, economic, and social empowerment of women.
Speaking to the theme of the event, ‘Reskilling Women and Girls to Thrive in the Digital Economy’, Danbatta 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.”
He expressed his appreciation to organizers, Techlife Media and Communications Limited, a Lagos-based media organisation, for the iconic recognition for his contribution to Nigeria’s digital progression, adding that it is an encouragement that he will dedicate to the entire NCC team of professionals that are dedicated to the digital revolution in the country. Danbatta commended the organisation for holding forth its annual gathering that pivots discussions on promotion of digital access, skills and knowledge among the women and girls in Nigeria.
Danbatta indicated that one of the ways through which the Commission strives to achieve an inclusive growth, was through increased digital connectivity to all, regardless of gender and other accidental circumstances. He said the Commission would continue 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.
