Expanding gender digital participation for women in Africa’s Western region

ECOWAS has made significant efforts to close the gender gap and enhance digital inclusion for West African women by utilising the inventiveness and creativity of women and youth to generate life-changing possibilities and more jobs.

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At a meeting in Abuja, organized by the ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association (ECOFEPA) with the theme ‘Rejuvenate democracy by giving voice to women and youth’, the debate was conducted on the search for a complete change in the digital economy of the member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

To close the digital gender gap, Nigeria’s Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy has directed the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to expand women’s and youth’s digital skills and capacity development in West Africa. Kashifu Inuwa, General Director of NITDA, stressed that the aim might be met by leveraging the invention and creativity of women and youth, who comprise most of the region’s population and are the most marginalized.

According to NITDA’s CEO, Ikima Musa, the agency has taken numerous initiatives to increase national prosperity by supporting digital innovation for Nigerian women and youth by establishing an environment that maximizes their potential and encourages their ability to contribute to the economy.

The ultimate goal is to generate life-changing possibilities for women and youth while creating more job opportunities. West African leaders have also committed to identifying the hurdles that restrict women from taking advantage of and reaping the benefits of their involvement in IT.