e-Business Life Communication Limited and Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), MTN Nigeria, Globacom Limited, Vodacom Business Nigeria, SystemSpecs, VDT Communications, TD Mobile and BudgIT.

5/3/2018

Africa, Nigeria, Lagos, Nigeria

100 participants

The Grand Finale of the seventh edition of the International Girls in ICT Day in Nigeria was celebrated on Thursday, May 03, 2018 by e-Business Life Communication Limited. The date was different from the global date because some schools in Nigeria were still on the Easter vacation as at April 26, 2018, while a few had just resumed.

The event took place at the Lagos Oriental Hotels, Lekki-Lagos as usual.  A total of 100 Senior Secondary School (SS1) Girls (equivalent of Grade 10) from 10 schools attended from both government (public) and private schools across Lagos state.

The theme of this year’s edition was : “Becoming an ICT Supergirl.”  Activities of the day included talks by the Lagos State Commissioner for Women Affairs, and various women from the companies that sponsored the event.

These seasoned professionals took time to demystify careers in technology and made the young girls see why a career in technology is worth considering by telling their own stories. This also made the girls see first-hand women who have succeeded in the ICT industry.

There was also a Quiz competition, which was focused on the STEM subjects. Prizes were presented to the first three winners of both the quiz and those of the Coding competition, which took place the previous day.

In continuation of what we began in 2013, the induction of deserving women ICT professionals into the Tech Women Hall of Fame (Award Ceremony); three women were inducted this year for their roles in the development of ICT in Nigeria. They include, Nnenna Nwakanma of Web Foundation, for her role in the advocacy for tech development through open access in Nigeria; Dr. Ola Brown, Founder of West Africa’s first indigenous air ambulance service, ‘The Flying Doctors Nigeria,’  For her role in furthering the cause of healthcare in Nigeria through technology; and Adanma Onuegbu, CEO, Signal Alliance for her being a role model in ICT Career development.

 From the feedback forms filled out by the students and guests, participants at the event unanimously agreed that ICT is not made for the male folk alone. They also urged that more awareness be created among our budding young girls so they can bridge the gender digital gap with passion in whatever they do.

A video of the event is available here : https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jnKrnEdjpTg.