Introduction

1. ICT DEPLOYMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA RURAL AREASA Presentation from the NIGERIAN HIGH TECH WOMENByHassan Omowunmi M.National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM), OAU, Ile-IfeAt ECOWAS Secretariat, Abuja30th June, 2005

2. Introduction • There is need to understand women’s access to and use of ICTs • It has been known that technological innovations affect men and women differently • There is therefore an obvious digital divide that affects women especially the majority at the rural areas.

3. Expectations from women • Gain less access to formal education • But get skills that would be useful at home • Get married • Begin to reproduce children • Carry out domestic duties • Move away from families totally after marriage • Take on a second class position in the home and society • And so on

4. Restriction for Women • Hold less education and hence, less economy and political power • No migration to urban centres so they can take care of children and the elderly ones • No right to communication and infrastructures e.g telephones, television, videos etc • Prevention from visiting public access points mostly visited frequently by men • Limited time available to participate in training and lack of awareness of available opportunities

5. With ICTs • Information Communication Technology (ICT) is the tool or catalyst for economic productivity and development • ICT gives access to information, knowledge, transparent and efficient social services • ICT is for “Empowerment of the Poor” “The poor is one who lacks power, opportunity, security and freedom to choose way to life”

6. Harnessing ICTs for education and rural access In Nigeria, women is said to be about 55% of the total population by researchers and therefore play a major role in child language literacy, agriculture, SMEs but without access to modern ICTs. To get the basic education in our society, women must be given the chance to develop and hence play the major key role which they have been born to play as the best “Capacity Builders” It is said that “train a man, you have only trained an individual; but train a woman and you are sure that a whole nation is trained”

7. Access for rural connectivity To achieve the goals of ICT to teaching, research and Administration • connectivity to remote rural areas and engaging the poor especially women to the connectivity is deemed to be essential. However, the installation of telephone lines is not sufficient. • Regulatory policies to support competition and innovation for service providers, • Improve Infrastructure through active participation by the private sector

8. Access for rural connectivity contd.. • Investment in Digital Literacy and human capacity to support ICT • Pilot and mainstream social applications of ICT, such as e-learning, e-Government, e-business/ e-commerce etc. • Involvement of develop-mental institutions e.g. universities to bridge the gap between technology and the “poor” women

9. Considerations for Women ICT needs • The technology must be located at close reach at central place for women to access such as: - health centres - women’s employment centres - libraries - churches or mosques - telecentres for women and girls • The kind of information produced and distributed must be women-friendly and this can go through civil societies and women NGOs

10. Nigerian High-Tech Women • Having realized the urban-rural as well as men-women digital divide rampant in the world especially in African nations, the NHTW NGO was set up as the Nigerian portal to reach and empower women in ICT. It is a sister NGO to the Ghanaian High-Tech Women • The objective of the NGO is to sensitize women about ICT not just as a means of communication but also as a tool to enhance their self-development as professionals and entrepreneurs and sustain their prosperity.

11. The basic information to be provided is in the areas of: - Financial Planning - Education - Health - Rural Development - Civic and Cultural Education - Food and Beverage - ICT Training - Leadership Skills - Management Skills

12. NHTW Contd.. Activities: • Organization of seminars and workshops at local centres and or State levels for women on ICT. • Training of girls and women on ICT and science related courses as it applies to the individuals. • Working out a means of acquiring ICT and or telecommunications infrastructure for women at the local centres. • Opening telecentres at different points within a local Govt. and extending the same to other States at large. • Setting up policy review management process for the established centres. • National workshops on ICT for member states so as to review what works with them and learn from each other. • Get Sponsorship for women to attend conferences that will be beneficial to their educational and total balance as Nigerian women

13. Expected Outputs: • Enhancing women participation in Science and Technology and or ICT for economic development of their various business or professional endeavors, the local community and the nation at large. • Youths especially girls are encouraged to choose and adopt sciences and technology as a course for pursuit through the exposures they have at the training centres and hence eradicating the gender imbalance in the ICT world of technological advancement. • The economy of the nation will not be the same as poverty would have been drastically reduced.

14. NHTW so far Contd. With these objectives in mind, we collaborate with some government, educational and private institutions who deal with ICT management and training so as to assist in training of women who are professionals and also collaborating with local government chairpersons to be able to reach rural women. e.g. • National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM) OAU, Ife • Dept. of Computer Science OAU, Ife • Jigawa State Government • NITDA • Collaboration with Local Govt. Areas

15. Women Information Centres • This is also known as telecentres, It is meant to serve as both information centres, about best practices in women businesses, e-government, small and medium scale micro-enterprise support, market and agric farm prices information for farmers and R&D issues across the globe as well as a training and business centre for women and girls. • It is business because of funding and sustainability. • This also serve as a place for developing children in basic ICT skills to enhance their studying and career building capabilities. This section is named “After School Centre”

16. Challenges of Telecentres • Availability of Space or land • Development of local content relevant to teaching • Policy formulation on gender ICT issues by government for disclosure of information • The cultural barrier for women to visit public places • Funding • ICT Infrastructures • Energy supply

17. Challenges for partners & Sponsors • Building relationship with women NGOs is the paramount issue. • Physical presence of partners and collaborators or sponsors will assist us in doing better • Women need assurance and support, therefore we need the confidence and support of the Govt. at all levels • Each partner need to demonstrate their core competence to move the rural areas forwards

18. Our Recent Challenges • FUNDING is the most obvious • Collaboration and sponsorship by private/public organizations • Infrastructure and market conditions need to be improved • Liberalization and Govt. policies be put in place to favour women to develop in ICT skills

19. NHTW Visit to Ife- East LGA of Osun State • Participation was quite impressive as we had about 65 women and 15 men in attendance • Their affordability of basic ICT equipments like GSM was poor • We encouraged them to do all they can to get the knowledge and then appreciate the better use of ICT infrastructures • Encouraged research and women participation in ICT • Creation of AFTER SCHOOL CENTRE for children to avail the mothers the opportunity and time to train in ICTs • Encouraged e-business through telecoms and internet connectivity

20. Policy issues for consideration • Do we have the adequate applications and infrastructures for ICT deployment and what is their optimal use • How affordable and reliable is our internet connectivity • Do we have reliable, secure and accessible networks for affordable telecoms services in Nigeria? • To what extent are telecoms services being use for information sharing?

21. Policy issues contd.. • Human resource requirements and development needs for ICT in the short and long term • Information transforming Agricultural production • Extent of information impact on trade and industry • Looking at how best to make ICT be the driving force of transforming both social and productive sectors of Nigerians • Ensuring that market women and traders can use mobile phones or computers for instance for information sharing

22. Roles women have to play • Be available for trainings and capacity building • Professional women given to R&D that have more impacts on the society especially the girl child • Establishing small micro-enterprises that are ICT driven • Provide fast health information and solutions to the family and community • Build the nations economy by eradicating poverty and be political informed and empowered. • Take a leading role in conferences, workshops and seminars participation.

23. In Conclusion • ICTs are still relatively not affordable to the developing nations like ours, hence government and private institutions needs to arise to the need of access for women’s development. • Capacity building is the key to attaining ICT skills and enablement, women can produce better results as we do in child bearing and enhance teaching, research and administrative excellence • Women have potentials!!! Give us the chance to maximize them

24. To All Women POWER – UP NIGERIA WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY

25. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING For contact details: Wunmi : reachaoh@yahoo.co.uk 08034241874