The Federal Government through the Ministry of Communication Technology has launched the Digital Girls Club, an initiative, meant to encourage Nigerian girls in secondary schools to develop an early interest in Information and Communication Technology (ICT).[blockquote right=”pull-right” cite=”CommTech Ministry”]The Digital Girls Clubs has been launched in I2 Federal Government Girls’ schools under a pilot programme to encourage, motivate and stimulate the interest of the girls in ICT skills and knowledge. [/blockquote]
It will also help enlighten girls about ICTs and project technology as a viable career option that can empower them, says the CommTech Ministry that launched the Digital Girls Club as part of President Jonathan administration’s bid to empower women and girls in Nigeria through a gender empowerment scheme called Girls and Women in Nigeria (G-WIN).
The Digital Girls Clubs has been launched in I2 Federal Government Girls’ schools under a pilot programme to encourage, motivate and stimulate the interest of the girls in ICT skills and knowledge.
Under the plan, 1200 girls from the 12 pilot schools will be impacted upon in the first instance and the clubs will be set up across all the Federal Government Girls Colleges in all the states of the Federation later, the Ministry said.
According to the Ministry, a portal, www.digitalgirls.org.ng has been created to act as a key tool for also stimulating and empowering the girls to embrace and adopt ICTs. The girls will be taught relevant technology skills based on an exciting curriculum.
Programmes such as quizzes, ICT games, application development, animation, website development, blogging, graphics design, computer programming, assembling and dissembling computers, creating short films, among other, will be taught. Mentors will also be invited to give inspiring talks that will arouse the interest the girls. They will as well participate in a mixture of classes and workshops, presentations and excursions.
“We need to increase the participation of women and girls in ICTs. Getting more girls into ICTs is a task we are committed to at the Ministry of Communication Technology. We want to ensure that Nigerian girls encouraged and empowered to embrace ICTs. It is critical to get girls to adopt ICTs so that they are not left behind in the digital revolution changing communities and nations across the globe. Our desire is that the Digital Girls Clubs will empower Nigerian girls and lead to the development of an army of ICT compliant girls that will contribute to the economic growth and empowerment of Nigeria in the future’’, Omobola Johnson, the Minister of Communication Technology said underscoring the importance of the initiative.
Zainab Maina, Minister of Women Affairs, represented by Nkechi Onwukwe, Deputy Director-Women Affairs Department,  says “the Internet is a crucial tool today used to transform lives of people by helping them to embrace and cultivate new skills in various endeavours. Girls should avail themselves of the opportunity presented to them by the establishment of the Digital Girls Club to gain relevant ICT skills that will help them achieve their desired career objectives.”
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