In commemoration of the 15th anniversary of the International Girls in ICT Day, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and Women Technology Empowerment Centre (W.TEC) in Nigeria have called for more representation of women and girls in the study of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in Nigeria and the rest of the world.
Speaking at this year’s International Girls in ICT Day celebration, Themed: ‘AI for Development-Girls Shaping the Digital Future’, organised by W.TEC in partnership with Oracle, which held at the Lagos City College, Sabo, Yaba, the ITU Secretary General, Doreen Bogdan-Martin, stressed the need for more girls representation in STEM education, to enable them compete favourably with their male counterparts.
Bogdan-Martin, who was represented by a senior official from the United Nations Information Centre in Abuja, Mrs. Bolanle Olumekor, said women representation in STEM Education and Quantum information technologies that are poised to reach high possibilities, remained globally low.
“Women represent just 35 per cent of STEM graduates globally and across the AI workforce. These are signals that we need to correct and we need to bring now because AI systems reflect the experiences, perspectives, and priorities of the whole people. To the girls, you belong in this space, and your ideas and your leadership are needed,” Bogdan-Martin said in her speech read by Olumekor.
Addressing selected female students from various schools in Lagos, Oracle representative, Bekere Amasoma, spoke about technology education and how girls could leverage technology to build their careers.
Representative from the Lagos Education District 4, Mr. Lateef Olarenwaju, also advised the female students to concentrate on their studies and to leverage technology in a profitable way.
