Women’s IT summit takes off in Ile-Ife

The first-ever Nigerian Women Information Technology Summit (WIT 2008), being hosted by the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, yesterday, kicked off at the conference hall of the institution.

The three-day event, according to the summit co-ordinator, Mrs. Omowumi Hassan, in a press statement made available to ITRealms Online, has been scheduled to end tomorrow, Thursday, October 9.

She said, the summit would address how to bridge the digital divide through the empowerment of women, using Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

The summit, Mrs. Hassan also said, would have the President, Computer Professional Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN), Prof. (Mrs) Adenike Osofisan, presenting an address as the keynote speaker.

She further said that the summit targeted at women in all sectors of the economy with particular interest for those involve in ICT, would feature topics such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Role of Women.

The event chaired by the chief executive officer, Omatek Computers Plc, Mrs. Florence Seriki, she said, has the theme: ICT and the Millennium Development Goals: The role of Women at the Grassroots.

In addition, she said, the summit would feature action plan by women towards achieving the MDGs.

Further, she said, they would dwell on the available technologies and tools to deconstruct gender stereotypes, training on how to develop blog and websites adopting the ‘Stand Up, Speak Out’ approach for networking as well as how information technology could assist Nigerian women in achieving the MDGs.

Meanwhile, the 2006 United Nations (UN) Secretary General’s report showed that new forms of violence against women have emerged with the advent of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).

With increasing access to ICTs, the cases of cyber violence against women and girls, according to the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), where also increased.

APC’s Gender and ICT activists column informed that women’s organizations working on the issue of violence against women are quick to underscore the need to ensure a proper balance between the interests of law enforcement and respect for fundamental human rights.


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