The potential of ICT to contribute to women development, including eliminating gender disparities, is currently compromised by unevenness in the pace and spread of these technologies. Today, the gender imbalance is evident, as the number of female personnel specialised in ICT is less than half of that of their male folks. Therefore, it has become very crucial if not urgent to address this particular issue while moving towards a gender-balanced information society through proper human resources development initiatives in ICT.
Over the years, various reports have shown the transformative power of ICT to improving the social economic situations of countries across the globe. For instance, a report said the contribution of technology; especially access to the Internet to the global GDP was greater than the GDP of Canada in 2012. In India, Internet based economic activity was said to have accounted for more than five per cent of the GDP growth. However, despite its transformative power, research has shown that women and girls are being left behind in the revolution, especially in developing economies, such as Nigeria, where fewer women than men have access to ICT initiatives such as the Internet.
It was in the spirit of bridging this gap in Nigeria that the Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ), last week took practical steps to train and equip women with necessary 21st century ICT tools on how to plug into the new global economy. The platform was the organisation’s annual conference.
The conference with the theme: “The New Economy, Are You Plugged In?” sought to further sensitise and galvanise Nigerian women into action, in order to attain leadership positions in management, business and public service. It was a brainstorming, training, mentoring and networking opportunity for women in the top echelons of the corporate world, business, and politics.
Minister of Communication Technology, Omobola Johnson, said that telecommunication and ICT are keys in the new economy, emphasising the importance of the individual’s ability to gather information and use the knowledge, as well as connecting with one’s environment through telecoms and ICT.
She identified the new economy from the tangible to the non-tangible, stating that these were the new commodities in the new economy.
Defining the New Economy, she said it is not simply about pushing back the frontiers of knowledge, but about the more effective use and exploitation of all types of knowledge in all manners of economic and social activity. Thus, economies are documented, as attaining development as a result of passing through set phases or stages of growth. “First is the Agrarian economy with its emphasis on agriculture, which then ‘developed’ into the Industrial Economy, with its emphasis on the exploitation of natural resources and mechanisation. Such economies are said to have further ‘developed’ into a service-based, technology-enabled New Economy — one in which the generation and exploitation of knowledge has come to play the predominant part in the creation of wealth.”
She noted that whilst knowledge can be summarised as the key commodity in this New Economy, networks and/or connectedness are key drivers. “Your access to flows of information and knowledge (and in particular your position in such networks) determines your ability to gather strategic information and your ability to generate new knowledge. It is, therefore, not surprising that ‘connectivity’ plays a key success factor in this New Economy. Initially, connections were predominantly between people — in personal life as well as business/professionally.”
On how women can connect with the new economy, she explained that an important characteristic of the New Economy is that it does not introduce new institutional barriers to participation, and under certain given circumstances actually creates opportunities that women can take advantage of, despite existing barriers imposed by culture and/or society. And information and knowledge are at the heart of the New Economy and for all intents and purposes, these are for the most part ubiquitous and gender-neutral.
This new economy, she said, is levelling the playing field in two important ways. First, by changing the value that people place on companies. For instance, today three out of the five largest companies in the world are New Economy companies. These are Apple, Google and Microsoft. Secondly, there appears to be a correlation between the rise of women in the corporate world with the rise of New Economy companies. She mentioned such names as Ginni Rometty, chairperson, President and CEO of IBM, Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, who is credited for getting Facebook into mobile computing gaming and Marissa Mayer, President and CEO of Yahoo are examples of new economy personalities as good examples to consider.
This means that for women to stay ahead of the curve and achieve, they must plug-in through ICTs and staying connected. “The examples we have seen from countries, companies, and individuals is that the more plugged in the individual the faster he/she is likely to grow.
“Unlike previous economic revolutions that generated wealth for citizens and countries, the New Economy has little established institutional barriers of its own and those that exist are societal and there are women that are showing that they are not insurmountable. What we require is akin to a ‘mass movement.’ First, we need more women embracing ICTs, and doing more with it in all aspects of their lives. We need to move beyond adoption to appropriation,” she added.
She advised that more women need to study in the ICT fields and work with active ICT careers because women could be better at designing solutions, particularly technological solutions for women. “The New Economy presents tremendous opportunities for wealth creation. Unlike the Industrial Age, women have access to the resources for generating this wealth. Let us ensure that we take full advantage of these opportunities”.
The immediate past chairperson of WIMBIZ, Adeola Azeez called on women to plug into the new economy so as to be able to constantly maintain their significance and relevance.
She stated that with the right tools and mentorship, the world has seen the Nigerian woman flourish and with every life that WIMBIZ has touched comes the renewed clarity that the organisation makes things happen. She explained that the conference theme is a deliberate effort at equipping women with relevant skills, current trends, events that are beneficial to growing their businesses. “Like the women we represent, it is important that we stay on top of current trends. And as Charles Darwin said, ‘It is not the strongest of the species that survive, not the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”
Women, in her view, must continually develop skills and competences in the face of perceived challenges, which she says are natural for every growing business. She encouraged women to carve a niche for themselves in whatever they do. “A woman must strive to be one step ahead of the game by connecting with the rest of the world. She needs to take the issue of technology seriously. She must develop herself, brand and expertise. She should make sure she leaves no room for complains and limitation by being the best she can ever be.”
According to Azeez, WIMBIZ is evolving to create an organisation relatable to the 21st century woman, as the economy and the world are changing. It was in the spirit of change and the economy that she called on women to take action, as the world around them changes. “Our aim is to not to lose our identity but to blossom and flourish through the seasons, showing our dynamism, relevance and visibility to everyone irrespective of gender, age and status.”
The current chairperson of WIMBIZ Osayi Alile Oruene said the discerning woman could plug into the new economy by building the needed capacity to perform competently in strategic positions. “Women need to be more aware, have more training and also develop their networking capacity, it is a learning process and we all have to make efforts to move the economy and the nation forward both individually and collectively.” She explained that WIMBIZ is set to equip women with relevant skills, tools and information required to advance in their careers and businesses. This, she says will inspire and empower them to be contribute meaningfully to economic and national development.
Her words: “ICTs can help the development of women by helping them to be more efficient and effective in their jobs, careers, and business and to generate new employment opportunities. It also has the potential to significantly contribute to increasing the social welfare of women.
“The SmartWoman Nigeria Project will allow women in Nigeria to connect with one another, share their knowledge and learn from each other, and through that empower themselves to achieve their goals. The project will provide an affordable means for Nigerian women to receive, in a timely manner, accurate information that is relevant to their needs,” she stated.
One of the highlights of the conference was the celebration of women who have done womanhood proud, done honour to Nigerian women and have written their names in gold and distinguished themselves in their careers. Notable among these were: Olufolake Sholanke, the first Female SAN in Nigeria for raising the bar, as she celebrates 50 years at the bar. Joe Okei Odumakin for being the fearless and tireless activist. Mo Abudu was honoured for rebranding Africa to the world with her Ebonylife TV. Biola Alabi got praised for emerging Africa’s Businesswoman of the year and Young Global Leader. Others were; Tara Fela Durotoye, for developing the Make-up industry and taking it to another level and Bola Adesola for her resilience and for emerging Most Outstanding Woman in Business.
The two-day event ended with a debate, which tried to ascertain whether women could have it all.
There is no better way for women to end an exciting two-day event than to raise the roof and have some fun. So, the corporate women executives and their sisters in the public service gathered in the evening, gaily dressed and ready to dance and have loads of fun. They ate, dined, wined, sand and danced to all kinds of music. It was an all girls night out, so it was fun all the way, as they enjoyed each other’s company.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Bisi Alabi Williams
Quelle/Source: The Guardian Nigeria, 17.11.2013
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