Mohammed Shosanya
There is hope for the future if women brace up to involvement in the tech field, breaking down barriers and making giant strides in the industry,President of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria,PENGASSAN,Comrade Festus Osifo,has said
Osifo,who disclosed this in his address to commemorate this year’s International Women’s Day,also suggested ways to promote women engagement in innovation and technology for gender equity.
According to him,there must be conscious effort to provide increased access to education for girls and women in areas where traditional educational opportunities are limited.
The development,he said,has the potential to break down barriers such as distance, poverty, and discrimination.
He said,there should be provision of new opportunities for women entrepreneurs to access markets, funding, and resources
He also said,monitoring and analysing pay disparities, identify problem areas, and create solutions to bridge the gap,as well as creating reporting mechanisms for gender-based violence and provide support to victims/survivors would go a long way in promoting women engagement in innovation and technology for gender equity.
He said women engagement in technology could also be boosted by improving access to healthcare services for women, particularly in rural and remote areas where traditional healthcare services are not readily available.
He emphasized the need for developing mentorship programmes between young women in tech and female technology leaders,adding that a sustainable future is dependent upon development of inclusiveness for transformative technology and digital education.
He said:”Overall, innovation and technology have the potential to create more opportunities for women, reduce gender disparities, promote digital literacy, reduce cyberbullying, increase employment opportunities, enhance productivity and breakdown traditional barriers. However, it is important to ensure that technology is developed and used in a way that is all-encompassing and does not reinforce existing gender biases.
“This year’s theme “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality” with a campaign theme #embraceequity, highlights the need to harness the power of innovation and technology to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment.
“As a union, we recognize this potential and we are committed to leveraging technology to support women’s advancement in the oil and gas industry. Innovation and technology have been a driving force in the global economy. Over the past few years, we have seen significant strides towards gender equality in various spheres of life, but there is still a long way to go”
