ITU, W.TEC Celebrate Girls in ICT, Push for More Women Representation in STEM

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and Women Technology Empowerment Centre (W.TEC) in Nigeria have called for greater representation of women and girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education worldwide. This call coincided with the 15th anniversary of International Girls in ICT Day.

Themed 'AI for Development-Girls Shaping the Digital Future,' this year's celebration was organized by W.TEC in partnership with Oracle and held at Lagos City College, Sabo, Yaba. Doreen Bogdan-Martin, ITU Secretary General, emphasized the critical need for more girls in STEM to ensure they can compete effectively with their male counterparts.

Bogdan-Martin, represented by Mrs. Bolanle Olumekor from the United Nations Information Centre in Abuja, stated that women's representation in STEM education and emerging fields like Quantum information technologies remains globally low. "Women represent just 35 percent of STEM graduates globally and across the AI workforce," she noted, stressing that AI systems must reflect the experiences and priorities of all people.

Oracle representative Bekere Amasoma and Mr. Lateef Olarenwaju from the Lagos Education District 4 also addressed the selected female students. They spoke about leveraging technology for career development and advised the students to focus on their studies for profitable technological engagement.

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Women represent just 35 percent of STEM graduates globally and across the AI workforce. These are signals that we need to correct and we need to bring now because AI systems reflect the experiences, perspectives, and priorities of the whole people. To the girls, you belong in this space, and your ideas and your leadership are needed.