By Juliet Umeh

A cybersecurity awareness creator, Cybersafe Foundation, has launched a project, DigiGirls, to lower the digital gender gaps in Nigeria.

Founder of the Foundation, Mrs. Confidence Staveley, said the project which is enabled by the commitment and funding from the UK Government, will close the digital gender gap that is causing unemployment/underemployment of women and girls especially for the underserved and vulnerable in our communities.

Staveley noted that DigiGirls project will contribute to ensuring safe and responsible use of digital, tackle gender-based violence through economic empowerment of women, support inclusive and sustainable economic recovery post-pandemic, increase the number of digitally skilled Nigerians, foster lasting poverty reduction and alleviate tough economic realities for women and girls in Nigeria.

She said: “In few days of opening applications for the project, Cybersafe Foundation received over 12,000 signups, a proof that DigiGirls is a timely and much needed intervention.

“Cybersafe Foundation could only accept 2400 of these women and girls across Nigeria, with only 10 per cent learning on-site in our Lagos and Kaduna hubs.

“We will, through this program provide free basic to intermediate digital skills and soft skills training, mentorship, internship and job placement to our beneficiaries, thanks in no small way to the UK Government.

“We are very grateful to the UK Government for co-designing and funding the DigiGirls program through its Digital Access Program,” she added.

Also, British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, said the UK is committed to being a global science and technology partner, working with others to develop solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges, including on digital skills. Thus, she is excited to be part of the UK Government funded Digi-Girls programme.

She said: “In Nigeria, science, tech and innovation provide opportunities for sustainable economic transformation – not least through the dynamic tech sector.

“The UK firmly believes in the future growth story of Nigeria’s digital sector (currently the ICT sector contributes about 15 per cent to Nigeria’s GDP, and certainly more than oil,” she said.

Vanguard News Nigeria