A Port harcourt based digital rights campaign organization known as Media Awareness and Justice Initiative (MAJI) has called on Nigerian governments at all levels to prioritize investment in digital technological innovations.
The group further urged the government to create and implement policies that support women development, with a view to bridging the Inequality ratio gap between males and females in Science and technology for sustainable development. The call was contained in a press statement issued by the organization in commemoration of the 2025 Global day for women and Girls in Science with the Theme; “Building a Future for women”.
The statement which was signed by Onyekachi Okoro, Executive Director of the organization noted that although globally, women are recognized to have pivotal roles to play in the Development of Societies through science, technology, engineering and mathematics, they are continuously excluded from participating fully in the economy, Policy formulation, Digital evolution, governance and development.
“ In Nigeria, MAJI believes the digital divide is primarily characterized by differences in internet access, digital literacy, and technological infrastructure between urban and rural areas, as well as between socio-economic groups and Gender competitiveness”, said the organization, adding that there is urgent need to bridge the gaps.
It lamented that the digital gender gap has continued to expand in many developing countries, creating a specific need to support digital gender
equality.
Supporting its claims with statistics, the statement noted that globally, in 2022, 62% of men are using the Internet, compared with 57% of women. Only 19% of women in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) used the Internet in 2020, compared to 86 percent in developed world (in 2019)
MAJI noted that in the course of its interventions in communities through Community Network project (CNs) which seeks to provide Cheap and sustainable internet access in rural and urban communities and also help to build the digital literacy capacity of women and girls in the region, it has identified the need for sustained digital literacy trainings for women and girls, as it provides a platform for increased economic opportunities, digital inclusion and participation for this historically marginalized group.
The Time for Scientific Change and women and girl inclusion is Now, said the group.