NCC, Digital Peers, oThers Join Forces for Girls in ICT Celebration

Every fourth Thursday in April, the International Girls’ in ICT Day is celebrated globally as a day to promote girls interest and strengths in information and communication technology.

This will also encourage and empower them to choose careers and courses in these fields.

It is celebrated to demystify ICT among girls and young women.

This initiative is the brain child of the International Telecommunication Union, ITU, through Resolution 70 (Guadalajara 2010).

Four times in a row, since the inception of this event in 2012, Digital Peers International, DPI, has been the standard bearer of the event in Abuja, FCT.

Digital Peers Organization is an Organization that is committed to the total or near eradication of IT illiteracy amongst the vulnerable group (Children, youth, women and girls) in Sub Saharan Africa with a particular focus on Nigeria through several ICT-centered initiatives.

This she has been doing successfully for the past 16-years. The vision is to raise IT-savvy generation of young people for National transformation and global competitiveness.

This year, in partnership with Nigeria’s Telecommunication Regulator NCC, Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria, ATCON, the initiator-ITU and other key players in the industry, Digital Peers International is yet marking the day in grand style for 200-school girls drawn from the private and public schools across the FCT on April 28 & 29 respectively.This collaboration is geared towards ensuring a successful program execution in the light of its objectives and wider penetration.

Key highlights of the event include visit to IT and Telecommunication Companies, ICT quiz competition, mentoring and career talks session, roundtable discussions all featuring outstanding women in the fields of ICT amongst others.

According to Prof. Placid Njoku, chairman of Digital Peers International, empowering girls in the use of ICT is key to driving economic growth and building the much talked about local content development in ICT.

Prof. Placid Njoku noted that the Girls’ in ICT project is one of DPI’s seven key projects of which DIGITEST is the flagship. DIGITEST is a two week ICT summer camp that brings together some 300-children between the ages of 8 to 18 years to learn and encourage the use of ICT in solving National challenges.

DIGITEST is also planned to run again this year in Abuja with the International version in Canada.

“It is therefore imperative that all hands be on deck to ensure that programmes like these are given the needed support for successful execution”, he said.