Training female entrepreneurs in ICT critical to economic diversification, says Ekpere-Eta

By Kemi Yesufu

Training women in ICT and Project Management will go a long way in helping Nigeria diversifying its economy, Director-General of the National Centre for Women Development (NCWD), Mrs. Mary Ekpere-Eta Esq, has said.

Ekpere-Eta expressed this opinion on Tuesday, while declaring open a 5-day training on ICT and Project Management for female farmers and entrepreneurs organized by the NCWD.

She added that the Centre is implementing a yearly training of entrepreneurs and farmers on the use ICT and Project Management as both skills have almost become necessary for running and growing businesses of any size in different sectors of the economy.

She disclosed that a total of 76 women were selected from various farmers associations and small-scale business groups across the country as participants for the training which she said was designed to make a major impact on those who attend.

Ekpere-Eta descried as important, providing farmers access to communication tools such as mobile phones, internet and emails for the purpose of getting information about seeds, market prices, pest control and weather/rain patterns. There is also the provision of interactive demand based agricultural services and                undertaking the automation of key agricultural functions such as digitalization of farm management/records, agricultural statistics and database and land records.

She said: “At the end of the training, the participants will be able to compete favorably with their male counterpart and will contribute their quota to the economic growth and development of the country”.

Earlier in his welcome address, Head of ICT at the NCWD, Morrison Udobong, expressed confidence that participants at the training will be able to make their businesses more profitable with the skills acquired. This is even as he disclosed that the feedback mechanism deployed by the agency has shown that a large percentage of the thousands of women trained by the Centre, especially under its current leadership have excelled in their chosen fields.

National President of Women in ICT in Nigeria, Dr. Florence Babalola commended the NCWD for ensuring that its training programmes are sustained. Babalola, who was represented at the event by the coordinator of Women in ICT in the FCT, Hajiya Dije Musa Umar urged that participants also share the knowledge acquired with others back home.

Also speaking at the event, FCT coordinator for Women In Renewable Energy, Olori Sekilola Oluwole, urged that women embrace the future which she said the use of ICT will be a factor in different facets of life.