As the International ICT Girls Day Celebration event organised by eBusiness Life Communication approaches, the Association of Telecommunications Company of Nigeria (ATCON), the umbrella body for telecom companies operating in Nigeria, has formally endorsed the event.
A message from the Association’s Secretariat disclosed that ATCON and its members have an objective of promoting all initiatives geared towards the growth and development of the ICT industry.
It further noted that ATCON will support the first International ICT Girls Day to be hosted in Nigeria which has the objective of sensitizing young girls on the opportunities and relevance of getting into ICT as a profession.
The event which is to be held on April 26, 2012 at the Golden Gate Restaurant, Ikoyi, Lagos State has started drawing the attention of some schools in Lagos State which has shown great enthusiasm in participating.
The theme of the campaign is “Why Leave ICT to boys, Girls can do ICT too.”
According to Mrs. Ufuoma Emuophedaro, Chief Executive Officer of eBusiness Life Communication, organisers of the event and publisher of the monthly ICT consumer-centric magazine, eBusiness Life Magazine, the idea behind the campaign is not to institute a competition with the male ICT professionals, but a means of encouraging young females to work along with the male professionals to further develop the industry in Nigeria.
She further noted that one-day event will mark the beginning of a sustained campaign to empower and educate young teenage girls in the area of information and communication technology.
The event will be chaired by the Ms Funke Opeke, Chief Executive Officer of MainOne Cable Company Limited. The chairperson who said that the event is timely and will further encourage young girls to make a profession out of ICT, will also head a panel of discussants at the event.
International Girls’ Day is an initiative launched through ITU Resolution 70 with the idea of creating a global environment that will empower and encourage girls and young women to consider careers in the field of information and communication technologies. The Union declared the 4th (fourth) Thursday of April every year as a day of encouragement to girls and young women to consider careers in ICT and society is reminded to support them in their choice.
Pilot projects and campaigns have been launched in a number of countries for about 20 years, with the aim to change girls’ and young women’s behaviour patterns with regard to their choice of career and to expand their spectrum of career options.
As part of the 2012 event, there will be quiz and essay competition between female students from select secondary schools, roundtable discussion, interactive and motivational talk from renowned women ICT professionals, among others.
Individual winners and winning schools at the essay and quiz competitions will cart home prizes.
eBusiness Life Int’l ICT Girls Day Receives ATCON Backing
