LAGOS: The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Prof. Cleopas Angaye, has urged ICT stakeholders to support the campaign to involve girls in the ICT profession. He made this known while speaking in the light of the upcoming International Girls in ICT Day event being organized by eBusiness Life Communications on April 26, 2012 in Lagos. He committed to be part of this event with the theme: “Why Leave ICT to Boys. Girls can do ICT too.” According to the NITDA boss, “although the gender inequality is a global issue, Nigeria's case is even more pronounced because even in other areas such as Information Technology (IT) utilization, the gap between male and female participation remains wide.” Prof. Angaye strongly believes this will make a change in the annals of ICT development in Nigeria. He further stated, “The divide is such that we have to consciously work to ensure that we narrow the gap. I believe it is a worthwhile effort to give physical and financial support to female IT education and to ensure that our females are properly catered for in the digital era.” Angaye is expected to flag off the campaign at the International Girls in ICT Day celebration, alongside Minister of Communications Technology, Omobola Johnson; Chief Executive of Omatek Ventures, Florence Seriki, among others. The event is part of an initiative by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and is meant to sensitise young girls and all stakeholders involved in molding their career path, on the need to take up ICT as a profession.
