The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Professor Cleopas Angaye, has urged ICT stakeholders to support the campaign to involve girls in the ICT profession.

Prof. Angaye made the statement ahead of the forthcoming 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 gender inequality is a global issue, Nigeria’s case is even more pronounced because even in other areas such as Information Technology 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 offer 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 launch 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 moulding their career path, on the need to take up ICT as a profession.
Segun Adekoye