The Stakeholder Democratic Network (SDN) graduated 1600 women tech experts in Port Harcourt last weekend. In an interview, Florence Ibok Abasi, SDN’s Country Director, said the project is an outcome of studies embarked upon since 2017.
She said the objective of the project is to reduce gender gap with fund by the European Union. “It is actually to empower women especially women-run businesses and females who are graduates but unemployed to be able to equip them with digital skills that they use to either make their businesses more financially viable or to make them have access to job opportunities whether they are interns or volunteers or in paid positions here in Nigeria and internationally.”
Artificial Intelligence (AI) seems to be on everyone’s lips but the country director said that was not the main target. “We are at the stage of gathering information about the impact of the programme before any decisions can be taken on new gaps with new products.”
She explained why the project targets females, saying in the Niger Delta, towards the end of the second decade of this millennium, “We found the region became a male-dominated place. We recognize that women have the potential to affect the larger society when empowered.”
She said the women now confess to the impact in their lives and what they have learnt. They have had more opportunities to secure jobs and to create jobs. By so doing, they have been able to provide some level of financial empowerment which has enabled them to support their husbands and families as a whole.
She said it is not about the results but the skills, about the transformation, that is the essence of the programme so the women can transform the world around them.
She said the enthusiasm seen in Rivers and Akwa Ibom pilot states indicate that the project is highly appreciated in the oil region. “Given the economic situation we are in, we believe we will get other women interested from other states of the Niger Delta because people recognize that with some skills and a computer, they can make money from anywhere in the world.”
On key things the beneficiaries would get to fit into the tech industry, the country director said the project was a result of a study since 2017 which showed that more men were involved in the courses which were free. She said most women would drop out along the line, or show little interest while in class. So, they decided to demystify the tech sector. “We thus, needed to build confidence in the women so they can effectively participate so women could realise that they too have the capacity to play actively in the sector.”
She said the training is needs-based. “The women tell us their needs, what they wanted to learn. We also looked at the local and international markets. That is why we call them in-demand digital skills.”
For impact, she said of the 1600 so far trained, over 70 per cent have started earning income.
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