The Nigerian government has agreed to partner with the world governing body for telecoms, International Telecommunications Union (ITU), to expand internet connectivity to the country’s rural areas.
At an event organised by Women in Technology in Nigeria (WITIN) to mark the 2022 International Women’s Day, Doreen Bogdan-Martin, the newly elected secretary general of the Union, told the audience that there’s need to collaborate with the Nigerian Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy seeing that only half of the total population of the rural communities in Africa are connected. The initiative will henceforth close this gap.
To be more precise, Bogdan-Martin explained that the partnership will increase the number of rural women who have access to the internet. She believes that if more women in rural areas have access to the internet, they would be more productive in the area of farming.
“We want to make sure that every rural area in Nigeria is connected, especially for rural women that are producing most of the foods that we eat.”
In Africa, 70% of food is produced by rural women, yet only 34% of them have access to the internet. Bogdan-Martin mentioned that these women need internet connection.
“Technology can help farmers in monitoring crops, predicting weather conditions as well as combating agricultural pests, and this is the area we are working with Nigeria to bridge the connectivity gap in rural areas,” she said.
The secretary general stated that the ITU is in place to address the gap with women in technology as the organisation has mobilised over $28 billion to curb the gender divide currently expressed in Nigeria and other countries around the world.
Martin however lauded the event organiser, Martha Alade, for championing the course of rural women and assuring the ITU to be of support to foster the growth of rural women in the application of technology to enhance better agriculture production.
Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Prof. Umar Danbatta also spoke at the occasion, encouraging rural women and farmers to use technology to increase crop yields.
He stressed that modern agricultural technology helps the economy by creating more jobs, increasing output while decreasing costs, and shortening production times.
“Today, the telecommunications industry plays a crucial role in providing the requisite support for the diversification of the economy through improving the knowledge economy using ICT as an enabler.
It has enhanced human capabilities in areas such as health, education, agriculture, finance, transportation, commerce, and governance.”
As the UN’s specialised body for ICTs, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is at the forefront of advancing global connectivity (ICTs).
The Union was established 1865 to facilitate international connectivity in communications networks, the ITU allocates global radio spectrum and satellite orbits, develops the technical standards that ensure networks and technologies seamlessly interconnect, and strives to improve access to ICTs to underserved communities worldwide.
