By Kingsley I. Ilechukwu, Bureau Chief, South West, Nigeria
Leading Mobile network operator, MTN Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment towards ensuring that the gender disparity in the ICT career sector is bridged, Cyber Era NG learns.
We gather this the leading telco made this statement with its backing of the 2025 edition of the International Girls in ICT Day campaign being organised by eBusiness Life Communication Limited.
Also, leading Cybersecurity and Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) firm, Digital Encode has also indicated interest to be part of this year’s campaign.
This year’s event, which will hold at the Lagos Oriental Hotel on May 15, 2025, is part of an annual campaign initiated by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to sensitise and encourage young women and girls to delve into ICT and related careers, which have been dominated by the male gender. The 2025 theme will be central on “Girls in ICTs: Bridging ALL Divides for an Inclusive Digital Transformation.”
According to the Chief Executive Officer of eBusiness Life Communication and Convener of the event, Mrs. Ufuoma Emuophedaro, the need to sensitise young girls was premised on the imperative to shape the future of technology and the roles the female gender would play in this.
In Nigeria, a significant gender disparity exists in the tech industry, with women being underrepresented in both education and employment. Studies show that men are almost twice as likely to pursue computer science and technology careers, and women make up only about 20 per cent of the workforce in the ICT sector.
Mrs. Emuophedaro noted that efforts should be made to introduce young girls to career opportunities in technological and technical fields in both the public and private sectors to help them have a wider range of options and contribute their quota in the industry and in the development of the economy.
The support from foremost ICT companies, heavyweights in their sub-sectors, MTN and Digital Encode, Emuphedaro underscored the importance of the campaign.
Digital Encode is a leading consulting and integration firm founded in 2003 that specializes in the design, management, and security of business-critical networks, telecommunications environments and other Information Technology (IT) infrastructures. Recognised in the industry for its vendor independent perspective, the firm’s expertise lies in solving multifaceted, complex enterprise network security and audit problems, also with the concept that a company should run its IT organisation as a business.
Digital Encode also provides advisory services toward improvements in Information Security Management, Network Security, Vulnerability Management, Penetration Testing, Computer Forensics, Risk Management and Business Continuity Management.
MTN Nigeria is one of Africa’s largest providers of communications services, connecting over 87 million people in communities across the country with each other and the world. Guided by a vision to lead the delivery of a bold new digital world, MTN Nigeria has been in the forefront of this campaign to build human capacity in Nigeria.
As part of the 2025 event, there will be a practical AI (Robotic) competition among female students from select secondary schools, roundtable discussion, interactive and motivational talk from renowned women ICT professionals, and Schools’ STEM quiz competition, among others.
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 ITU declared the 4th (fourth) Thursday of April every year as a special day to celebrate and encourage girls and young women to consider careers in ICT, and the society is reminded to support them in their choice.
This year’s event will have top government and private sector executives in attendance.
