Women and Nigerian ICT Policy

Author(s):  
Nuhu D. Gapsiso ◽  
Rahila Jibrin

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is the bedrock for national survival and development in a rapidly changing global environment. Little wonder, every progressive country has a national IT policy and an implementation strategy to respond to the emerging global reality so as to tap from the numerous potential associated with these technologies. However, global reports and statistics reveal that women and girls are grossly underrepresented in the field of ICTs. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in 2013 reports that there are currently 200 million fewer women online than men, and this gap could grow to 350 million in three years. The report also reveals that globally women are coming online later and more slowly than men. Out of the world's 2.8 billion Internet users, only 1.3 billion are women. The report also states that women account for fewer than 20% of ICT specialists in developing economies and estimated that, by 2015, 90% of formal employment across all sectors will require ICT skills. The report additionally stated that 21% of women are less likely than their male counterparts to own a mobile phone – representing a mobile gender gap of 300 million. In Africa, only about half of the female population makeup the number of men connected to the internet. This gender divide calls for gender mainstreaming in respect of ICT policy. This chapter examines Nigeria Information Technology Policy and possible areas of encouraging gender mainstreaming in order to encourage and boost the ICT engagement for women empowerment. Thus, having looked at the Gender mainstreaming and Nigeria's IT policy this chapter concludes that there is need for the mainstreaming of the following areas in the IT policy, the issue of access particularly for women to help bridge the gap between men and women, the issue of establishing ICT training centers for women in the rural areas to train them on ICT skills.

2017 ◽  
pp. 237-247
Author(s):  
Nuhu D. Gapsiso ◽  
Rahila Jibrin

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is the bedrock for national survival and development in a rapidly changing global environment. Little wonder, every progressive country has a national IT policy and an implementation strategy to respond to the emerging global reality so as to tap from the numerous potential associated with these technologies. However, global reports and statistics reveal that women and girls are grossly underrepresented in the field of ICTs. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in 2013 reports that there are currently 200 million fewer women online than men, and this gap could grow to 350 million in three years. The report also reveals that globally women are coming online later and more slowly than men. Out of the world's 2.8 billion Internet users, only 1.3 billion are women. The report also states that women account for fewer than 20% of ICT specialists in developing economies and estimated that, by 2015, 90% of formal employment across all sectors will require ICT skills. The report additionally stated that 21% of women are less likely than their male counterparts to own a mobile phone – representing a mobile gender gap of 300 million. In Africa, only about half of the female population makeup the number of men connected to the internet. This gender divide calls for gender mainstreaming in respect of ICT policy. This chapter examines Nigeria Information Technology Policy and possible areas of encouraging gender mainstreaming in order to encourage and boost the ICT engagement for women empowerment. Thus, having looked at the Gender mainstreaming and Nigeria's IT policy this chapter concludes that there is need for the mainstreaming of the following areas in the IT policy, the issue of access particularly for women to help bridge the gap between men and women, the issue of establishing ICT training centers for women in the rural areas to train them on ICT skills.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Sheuli Ray ◽  
Manoj Debnath

The regional difference of complex Indian social structure and customs have a different impact on the nature of women’s work participation. The present study aims at unravelling the influence of social, cultural and economic forces in differentiating the level of women work participation in different eco-regions of West Bengal. The study is based purely on secondary sources and data have been collected from the Census of India. It is in the rural areas that the female work participation is directly linked to agriculture and allied activities and the study confines itself to an understanding of work participation of women only in the rural areas. The modern technological implication as a result of green revolution has a worse impact on women work participation particularly in the South Bengal plain and some parts of East Rarh Plain region. The high gender gap is noticed in Nadia district located in the middle part of South Bengal Plain causes very high withdrawn of female from there. Effect of socioeconomic variables, work participation of Scheduled component in main economic activity is also varied from the non-scheduled component. Non-scheduled worker participated more in non-agricultural sector rather than the scheduled counter parts. Subsequently, the low growth rate of female work participation represents a distress picture in work force structure which is a cause of worried also.


Author(s):  
Hua Zhou ◽  
Di Mo ◽  
Chengchao Zhou ◽  
Alexis Medina ◽  
Yaojiang Shi ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shemelis Kebede Hundie ◽  
Daniel Tadesse Tulu

Abstract In Ethiopia, the gender gap in financial inclusion is high, and the effect of socioeconomic variables on the gap is not well investigated. As a result, this study uses the World Bank’s Global Findex database from 2017 to analyze magnitude and determinants of the gender gap in financial inclusion in Ethiopia. Using Fairlie decomposition technique, we find statistically significant gender gap in all indicators of financial inclusion under study in Ethiopia. The result shows that the highest financial inclusion gender gap is observed in formal saving followed by formal account holding. The decomposition results show males are 16.5%, 16.6%, 8.9 %, 8.4 %t, and 5.8% more likely to have a formal account, formal saving, borrowing, emergency fund possibility, and debit card ownership, respectively. We further decompose these gaps using Daymont and Andrisani approach and the result reveals that differences in coefficients between males and females explain 57.7% in formal saving, 43.4% in formal account holding, and 110.9% in borrowing from formal financial institutions. About 54.2% of the total gender gap in possibility of raising emergcency fund is attributed to differences in characteristics/predictors between the two genders while gender gap in debit card holding is explained by the iteraction between differences in characterisctics and coefficients. Being older, more educated, and wealthier favor financial inclusion, with age, employment, and education having a greater effect. Furthermore, gaps in coefficients, productivity, and advantage to males and disadvantage to females aggravate the gender gap in financial inclusion in Ethiopia. Gender mainstreaming in economic activities to increase income, employment opportunities and education for females to bridge the gender gap in financial inclusion is important.


Author(s):  
Tega Rexwhite Enakrire

This chapter reviews the Nigerian Information Technology Policy which was approved in 2001. It x-rays the objectives of the policy, the sectoral applications, and the implementation strategies o the policy. A performance review of the policy was also done. The chapter concludes by requesting the government to ensure strict implementation of its national ICT policy in order to achieve the set objectives.


Author(s):  
Segomotso Masegonyana Keakopa ◽  
Kelvin Joseph Bwalya

This chapter provides an evaluation of ICT policy developments in Botswana. In particular, it highlights major advancements in areas of national ICT policy development and its implementation in the country. The country’s National ICT policy, Maitlamo, has been a significant factor in driving ICTs in the country. The chapter asserts that opportunities in ICT development in the country are evidenced by not only implementation of the policy but further by greater investment of financial resources by the government and the role of the private sector. Further, the chapter argues that while implementation of the national ICT policy has brought achievements in liberalisation and expansion of public services in rural areas, there are still a number of challenges to address if universal access has to be achieved. Among these are unavailability of ICT services in rural areas, high costs of the technology and the lack of public awareness on the use of technology. Proposals made at the end of the chapter call for the government to speed implementation of ICT policy, form stronger partnerships with the public sector and further balance the role of BTC vis a vis other players so that the playing field is leveled.


Author(s):  
Michela Cozza

In this chapter the mutual shaping of the technology and gender is analyzed in relation to the phenomenon of gender digital divide. The discussion starts with the re-construction of the theoretical background, shedding light on different analytical approaches to technological development. The gender blind perspective of mainstream technology studies is uncovered; looking at theoretical contributes of feminist and gender studies. This positioning is aimed to consider the cultural and material aspects involved in the digital gender gap. The chapter leads to a general conclusion: it is of utmost importance that researchers, decision-makers and professionals in Information Technology field take into account that all spheres inhabited by human beings are inevitably gendered. The gender mainstreaming approach may inform the construction of a gender-aware research agenda and the identification of the following transformative actions. The synergy among researchers, practitioners and decision-makers at political and business level is crucial for a gender-sensitive and sustainable development.


Author(s):  
Jian-Chuan Zhang ◽  
Ying Qin

Few prior studies have addressed the political impact of the Internet on civic engagement in rural areas. This preliminary study aims to explore the connection between Internet use and civic engagement of rural Internet users. Based on the surveys implemented by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), the authors find that using the Internet does enhance the level of civic engagement among rural Internet users in China. However, better use of the Internet faces some obstacles, too. They are the young age of rural users and the limited Net bandwidth. Implications of these obstacles are discussed. The chapter concludes that, under certain circumstances, there is great potential for Chinese rural Internet users to become more actively engaged in public affairs in the future.


Author(s):  
Danilo Piaggesi

This paper explores wireless hyper connectivity and its associated costs—including ICT infrastructure—in their impact on health, education, government, and commercial applications. It analyzes the cost-effectiveness of wireless provision of access and services in underserved (especially rural) areas, examining applications around the world. A snapshot of private sector activity in Latin America and the Caribbean is presented along with government and international development organizations' efforts to promote wireless technologies in development projects. Attention is given to the policy barriers preventing the private sector from developing these technologies in the context of underserved markets, the role of government in providing universal service, and issues of spectrum allocation. Finally, recommendations are proposed for the future of multilateral development banks (MDBs) involvement in the area of wireless applications and wireless technology policy as tools for the development of emerging economies.


2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 16-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anand Vyas ◽  
Sachin Gupta

The core aim of this research paper is to analyze the challenges faced by an E-commerce industry in India. The Indian Economy is proliferating day by day and E- commerce industry is playing an imperative and laudable role in its progress. Still there are enormous sectors that have been untouched by an E-commerce industry in India, particularly in its rural areas. Many consumers in India still follow the traditional purchasing method. Unfortunately, altering customer perception of online shopping has been quite a tough task for the E-commerce industry. According to a survey, India is ranked fourth in the world for its number of Internet users. So, it is expected that India would come into the top 10 E-commerce hub by 2020. Indian buyers are afraid to use new technology in its Initial stage. But, if an E-commerce company could provide proper feedback and knowledge to its customers for online purchasing, it would directly help to increase the sales of the E-commerce websites. This research paper gives a theoretical contribution for analyzing the hurdles in front of the E-commerce industry.


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