International Day Of The Girl 2021: Nigerian Women Advocate Digital Literacy

By KINGSLEY ALUMONA

This year’s International Day of the Girl comes up on Monday, October 11. Celebrated across the world, the theme of this year’s edition is ‘Digital generation. Our generation’. In these interviews by KINGSLEY ALUMONA, four Nigerian women who work in the gender/girl-child spaces speak on the theme.

Favour Ibekwe, lawyer, gender/child and health rights advocate.

Do you think Nigerian parents, society and government are paying much attention to the digital needs/realities of the girl child?

Thankfully, there is a good number of organisations passionate about equipping the girl child with digital skills and knowledge. Most of these organisations are sponsored by individuals and companies. However, I am afraid I cannot say the same about the government. Nonetheless, I am glad that parents have become more open-minded about their female children leveraging digital technology and have shown this by letting them get this skill upgrade alongside practice time. All in all, things have improved compared to half a decade ago. But, there is room for more.

How would you relate digital literacy to the development/empowerment of the Nigerian girl child?

It is common knowledge that technology is the future, and as much as access to formal education has equipped the female gender, empowered her choices and widened her options, digital literacy can do more in terms of providing income, career and educational opportunities for our girls, which in turn, creates positive ripple effects, both in our immediate community and globally.

What ways do you think the digital literacy/education of the Nigerian girl child could be improved and sustained?

To thrive, digital literacy would need more support from the government. There is only  much individuals and organisations can do. However, the backing of the government would encourage better financial aids and, in turn, create more pathways for projects focused on equipping our girls with digital skills and whose lifespan is not dependent on only charity but government policies. Also, a tripartite collaboration among private digital literacy-focused organisations, where the government is involved, would create a formidable alliance, especially as the bureaucratic bottlenecks which hinder sustainable development in this regard would be greatly reduced.

In few sentences, what advice would you offer a Nigerian girl child that is aspiring to be like you?

The first advice I would love to give to the girl child is to not aspire to be like me or anybody else. Whilst it is great to be inspired by the positive influence of one’s role models or even ask older women who are accomplished to mentor us, it is best to be one’s true self and version. First find yourself, the things that you are passionate about and aim at becoming excellent at them.

Sadiya Murtala, feminist, founder, WeCan Africa.

Do you think Nigerian parents, society and government are paying much attention to the digital needs/realities of their girl child?

No, I don’t. According to a youth survey report issued by the National Bureau of Statistics, young women in Nigeria are half as likely to have a career in computer science and technology-related fields as men.

How would you relate digital literacy to the development/empowerment of the Nigerian girl child?

Digital technologies have demonstrated their potential to be powerful catalysts for the political, economic and social empowerment of women and girls, and can enable female voices to be heard. They can also enhance women’s participation in decision-making, and provide access to financing and networks.

What ways do you think the digital literacy/education of the Nigerian girl child could be improved and sustained?

There is a saying that: “Little by little, the bird builds its nest.” In the same way, Nigeria needs to embed digital literacy in its primary school curriculum. As with all countries, Nigeria needs to ensure that it is technologically prepared for the 21st century. It is not enough to provide girls and adult women with skills and support services. Young women — particularly adolescent girls — need targeted opportunities to build digital skills. In early adolescence, young women and their families are making decisions about education and future employment, while expectations about young women’s roles in family and society are becoming fixed. This is when specific skills and support services have the greatest lifelong potential to impact women’s access to opportunities. Without the necessary support or skills, they risk losing out. The behaviour patterns set during adolescence could have long-lasting effects on girls — both positive and negative.

In few sentences, what advice would you offer a Nigerian girl child that is aspiring to be like you?

As a young girl or woman in Nigeria, learn as many digital skills as you can. You need soft skills like leadership, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills in order to build your confidence and sustainable learning as information needs evolves. Without soft skills, young women cannot benefit fully from any digital skills or access that they obtain. The demand for soft skills will only increase as Nigeria’s workplace continues to modernise. Social skills, teamwork, communication skills, positive self-concept, including self-confidence and self-efficacy are also crucial.

Jane Kalu, social media manager, founder, Viable Motivators.

Do you think Nigerian parents, society, and the government is paying much attention to the girl-child digital needs/realities of their girl child?

Recently, there has been a major improvement in girls’ digital inclusion and use compared to before. However, gender inequality in the physical world is still replicated in the digital world. There is a need for more sensitization in this regard. With the realisation that digital adoption and use can offer a girl child an opportunity to be self-dependent, etc., there has been an increase in organisational projects and opportunities open specifically for the girl child participation.

How would you relate digital literacy to the development/empowerment of the Nigerian girl child?

It is still one-sided — a narrative of who knows what, when, and how. This is because to a teenage girl in the city, the digital space is a playground to mingle and connect with the world but a rural girl in her mid-twenties is not fully aware of the possibilities therein. Factors such as poor network, lack of electricity, high cost of data and possibly lack of access to android/smart phones contribute to the backwardness of the rural girl child. Digital literacy has been a very strong tool in shaping the identity of the girl child. It has given a typical Nigerian girl child the platform to strengthen and to expose her potential to the world. In a nutshell, Digital literacy has been a blessing to the girl child.

What ways do you think the digital literacy/education of the Nigerian girl-child could be improved and sustained?

We are yet to do enough work in this area, especially for the girl child. However, we should prioritise digital literacy and why it is valuable for everyone. We should make internet data free and cheap, especially for the rural communities, and also leverage tech tools and online classrooms to promote learning. Furthermore, parents should join in helping their girl child bridge the digital gap that exists between them and the world and not try to prevent them from having access to technology.

In few sentences, what advice would you offer a Nigerian girl child that is aspiring to be like you?

I would tell her to use her digital literacy for good and to be in control of it, and not the other way round. Technology is a powerful tool a girl can use to overcome the limitations of location, background, and ignorance. Once she understands this, then, the world is hers to take.

Karimot Odebode, gender rights advocate, founder, Black Girl’s Dream Initiative.

Do you think Nigerian parents, society and government are paying much attention to the digital needs/realities of their girl child?

Not exactly. We are still some steps backwards when it comes to digital literacy. All stakeholders should realise the importance of digital literacy. It is a step forward for a child, most especially, the girl child. And when we clamour for digital literacy, we should also pay attention to their digital rights. And the digital world should be protected and make safe for our children, most especially for the girl child, as there are preys in every corner. Education stakeholders should pay critical attention to the digital reality of this day, and see how well we could maximise it for the benefit of the girl child.

How would you relate digital literacy to the development/empowerment of the Nigerian girl child?

We live in a world where we have gone digital. Learning and connecting to opportunities have been made possible with just a click. It is very important for the girl child to be digitally literate. The empowerment and development of every child is now rooted in how well they can access and use the digital world. Digital literacy is not just about accessing the social media. It is also how well to tell your story, ethical usage of internet resources and internet safety. We saw how the world had to live digitally during the COVID-19 lockdown. Schools and jobs had to move digitally. We clearly saw how important the digital world is.

What ways do you think the digital literacy/education of the Nigerian girl child could be improved and sustained?

It can be improved by teaching girls their digital rights, how to navigate the digital world, and how they can use the internet properly to their advantage. We can sustain digital literacy by encouraging stakeholders in the education sector to use it for proper dissemination of information. And it is also very important for us to make it accessible for girls from low-income households.

In few sentences, what advice would you offer a Nigerian girl child that is aspiring to be like you?

Dear young girl,you can be whatever and whoever you want to be. The first thing to do is to believe in yourself. Spread your wings. Don’t be afraid. Even if you are afraid, do it afraid. The world is waiting for you. Come and show us the magic that is you, dear black girl. I am rooting for you. I want you to live your dream, dear black girl.