By Maryam Abeeb
An educational foundation known as Odyssey Education Foundation has put in efforts to promote technovation among girl child by organizing pitch event in technology and entrepreneurship for schools.
The Founder of Odyssey Educational Foundation and Chapter Ambassador of “Technovation Girls” Abuja-FCT, Stella Uzochukwu-Denis , during her opening remark at the event in Abuja, disclosed that the foundation is created to increase the number of females studying and applying for STEM jobs among young people in Nigeria.
She explained that it is also aimed to accelerate the technological and industrialization of low- and middle-income African nations, as well as to close the gender gap,
“We’re here today to honor the bright young girls who created mobile apps to address some of the most pressing problems in our society, like encouraging girl child education, offering mentorship, putting an end to human trafficking, ending early marriages, and providing basic necessities to the underprivileged in Abuja, Nigeria.
According to her, the Technovation challenge is an excellent initiative that encourages young women to use technology to make the world a better place.
She added that over the years, girls have created smartphone apps to address a range of societal challenges, such as educational gaps, hunger and poverty, gender inequality, corruption, environmental disasters, and more.
She stated that for this season, teams from 92 schools in FCT-Abuja, Nasarawa, Kano, and Bayelsa states, as well as independent teams, submitted their mobile apps.
The Minister of Women Affairs , Dame Pauline Tallen during her keynote address at the event in Abuja, said that encouraging girls in Nigeria to Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education is very important for promoting gender quality .
Tallen who was represented by the Chief welfare officer, Ministry of Women of Affairs, Iweanya Priscilla added that it can also help in expanding job opportunities, fostering innovation and empowering young women to reach their full potential.
According to her, studies have shown that there is gender gap in STEM both in Nigeria and globally.
She added that encouraging girls to pursue STEM education and careers can make them become role models for future generations and breakdown stereotypes and barriers .
She stated that in cloud computing just 12% of professionals are women, in engineering is just 26%as captured by Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report 2020.
“ Federal Ministry of Women affairs in an effort to improve on the information in the place of girls and women occupy inScience and Technology has embark on awareness creation campaign to promote Girl-Child education especially in STEM.
“Nigeria must prepare her girls to tap into ICT opportunity by allowing them learn component of ICT development and Computer Science for a successful career in the ICT sector and advanced digital skills,” she said.
In an interview with to one of the participants, Olorunfemi Faith said that the program has made her more informed about technology and innovation.
“I joined the program, I became more informed about technology and about innovation gave me the ability to identify problems that actually rampages I never actually goes on check revisions, it is the best means to bridge the gap which is mostly dominated by men, making them to demean the efforts and the capabilities of women.
“As a woman and as a tech entrepreneur. I would advise that you join Technovation it will give you more enterprising skills and eviction skills and teach you how to be a problem solver in future and presently,” she stressed.
