Phase3 empowerms programmes for girls, women

Phase3 Telecom, West Africa’s largest independent fibre optic infrastructure and telecommunications services provider has said that it will continue to aggressively offer grant support to programs and initiatives targeted at advocating, engendering as well as promoting sustainable and active engagement of girls and women in the ICT space.

This is in honour of women who continue to shatter glass ceilings and transform our world positively in the telecommunications, information and communication technology ecosystem.

And in addition to its network of over 14 ICTs focused grant recipients, the firm will be collaborating with Django Girls Abuja – a budding non-profit and community relations organization that empowers girls and women to take on full career options in ICTs through free yet resource based technology and programming workshops.

The drive to increase its network of ICT related NGO partnerships rides on Phase3’s commitment to marking the globally celebrated annual International Girls in ICT Day with CSR programs that are measurable, impact driven, sustainable and do have transformational effects on the livelihood of Nigerian youths especially girls who are often disadvantaged and underrepresented in the socio-economic strata.

The Girls in ICT initiative of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is a global effort designed to raise awareness on empowering and encouraging girls and young women to consider studies in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and lifelong careers in ICTs. To date over 300,000 girls and young women have taken a part in more than 9,000 Girls in ICT Day based events held in 166 countries around the world.

Commemorating the 2018 installment themed “expand horizons and change attitudes” Mr. Stanley Jegede, chief executive officer, Phase3 Telecom, said that he will continue to reiterate his belief that early education, digitalized training as well as developing technology skills for girls and women as well as harnessing those skills promptly is critical to Africa’s rapid socio-economic development and sustainability.

He added that one of the key elements of addressing poverty especially as astounding ITU statistics indicate that 66.6 million young people are currently unemployed worldwide and 144.9 million young workers in emerging or developing countries are living in extreme or moderate poverty – is the consistent empowerment of girls and women; and there is no better way of doing that than ensuring their sustained representation in the world of ICTs where they can be fully equipped with the essential skills and tools to take advantage of the benefits of a world that is steered by digital economy.

He maintained that this and building a crop of young Nigerian and indeed African girls to actively participate and compete in the evolving as well as innovative global ICT space; is the basis for Phase3 Telecom’s commitment to supporting the International Girls in ICT day initiative.

In his commendation of Django Girls on the momentum they continue to gain especially in the area of training girls to build web applications; he stated that he is very optimistic that this global evolution will gain greater influence in Africa as more and more institutions and agencies advocate ICT skills for women on the continent.