eBusiness Life inducts Johnson, Opeke, others into Tech Women Hall of Fame

DigitalSENSE Business News  

 As part of the just concluded International Girls in ICT Day Celebration, eBusiness Life Communications has instituted an award to celebrate deserving women that have made their marks in the field of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in Nigeria.
 

The award is a means of inducting these professionals into the circle of ICT women achiever tagged “Tech Women Hall of Fame.”

Confirming this to DigitalSENSE Business News, the Chief Executive Officer/Editor-in-Chief of eBusiness Life, Mrs Ufuoma Emuophedaro said that those honoured during this year’s maiden induction included Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson, who was honoured as the ‘Best Policy Contributor’, Chief Executive Officer of MainOne Cable Company, Funke Opeke, as the ‘Tech Achiever of the Year,’ and the Chief Technical Officer of MTN Nigeria, Mrs Lynda St. Nwafor as the ‘Tech Supporter of the Year’ as well as the Group CEO, Omatek Ventures (Best Woman Tech Entrepreneur).

Others include the Director, Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis, NCC Mrs Lolia Emakpore, (Best Fit in Regulation) and CEO, FutureSoft Resources Limited, Ms Nkemdilim Uwaje (Amazon of Youth Tech Empowerment).

Mrs. Emuophedaro explained that instituting the award was a way of appreciating the women who have made remarkable impact in the field of ICT in Nigeria, and have contributed immensely to the growth and development of the industry.

She however challenged the recipients to ensure that their knowledge does not end with their achievements, but are inculcated into younger girls through mentorship arrangements.

According to her the lack of trained female professionals women now account for less than 20 per cent of ICT specialists.

“The European Union calculates that in ten years’ time there will be 700 000 more ICT jobs than there are professionals to fill them; globally, that shortfall is estimated to be closer to two million,” she said.

Mrs Emuophedaro said the award will become an annual event and will go a long way in encouraging young girls and instilling an ‘I can do attitude’ in them. She encouraged the students to look up to the recipients as they have a lot to offer in terms of encouragement and knowledge transfer.

The recipients who pledged to further work towards the development of ICT as a means of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) also said they will work with eBusiness Life to ensure a structured knowledge transfer to the girls.

During the event, Ms Uwaje opted to stand as a liaison between some of the interested girls and some women Non-governmental Organisations that are geared at developing girls in ICT related fields. 

Mrs Emuophedaro also pointed out that eBusiness Life is in the process of gathering students from different schools to form ICT Girls clubs in their various schools as a means to engage and organise them for fruitful practical experiences.


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