ABUJA, NG, Jan 2, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) - Dr. Marliyyah A. Mahmood, Project Manager, Women In Tech for Startup AREWA has revealed how enabling technology is enhancing the promotion of women's empowerment in Northern Nigeria. She also emphasized some of the fundamental advantages of social media technologies, such as giving women access to a virtual environment where they may express themselves.
"It is impossible to overstate the importance of women in the growth of any nation, state, or community. This is an effort to reiterate and revive humanity's awareness of the critical role that women's education plays as an indisputable engine of long-term national development, that begins at home. Women are frequently observed to be the children's first teachers at home. A mother's influence on upbringing in any developing country, and the empowerment of women, has a significant impact on key developmental outcomes like health, education, reproductive patterns, income level, and other factors," she said.
Going by a report from PWC in April 2020, 41% of micro-businesses in Nigeria are owned by women, while a report in EFInA cited 55% of the financially excluded adults in Nigeria are women; of the 25.1 million financially excluded in the north, 13.1 million are women. Business transactions are largely cash within informal channels, as business funds are kept at home because financial institutions are concentrated in the state capital, while poor record-keeping from transacting through informal channels in turn hampers eligibility for credit.
The previous census, which was performed in 2006, indicated that women made up around 49.7% of the population of Nigeria. Despite making up over half of the population, Nigerian women (particularly those in the northern region) have not been able to change the long-standing inferior status that society accords to women.
There are a number of reasons why women in Northern Nigerian society are treated inhumanely, the majority of which can be linked to the patriarchal system in place and the general lack of gender awareness among everyone in the country, including women who have been socialized to accept their subordinate position.
However, with better access to information online, women have developed a greater sense of awareness. Online educational content, blogs videos and social media tools have given women access to a virtual world that provides them with opportunities for self-expression.
In recent years, digital channels have likely provided the most access to education and awareness for women. Digital platforms are aiming to be more inclusive than ever before in light of the changing political conscience. It is now essential, not simply an option, to guarantee women's safety, inclusivity, and a voice at all intersections.
Additionally, this online space gives women the security of anonymity. For people with oppressed identities, a virtual place that is anonymously accessible can provide a level of safety that most offline or physical mediums can't. Let's take a look at a few technical advancements that have benefited women and enabled them to virtually create a sisterhood network.
Through online workspaces, more women have recently been able to achieve financial independence. There are now more jobs available for women thanks to specific job postings on numerous online portals. Housewives or moms who have taken extended absences from the workforce now have access to special possibilities to re-enter the workforce. Many websites provide part-time and full-time occupations that people can undertake from home.
In Northern Nigeria, Startup AREWA and Financial Service Innovation (FSI) organized a virtual hackathon on financial inclusion amongst female entrepreneurs within the northern region by proffering simple and easy-to-use fintech solutions to increase more of their participation in setting up businesses. The innovative solutions developed from this hackathon were able to tackle the challenges faced by unbanked and underbanked female entrepreneurs in Northern Nigeria.
Dr. Marliyyah reveals how women now have access to a wide range of created opportunities online as a result of technology advancements. "Technology has helped women affirm their freedom of expression and right to the workforce, which they frequently find difficult to accomplish. This is a really great achievement that shows how it can be utilized to empower those with disadvantaged identities.
"However, it must not be overlooked that having internet access is necessary in order to take use of these virtual prospects. How many women and members of underrepresented groups actually have access to such technology is still an open subject. To ensure that intersectional gaps are filled and that technology and the internet are more widely available, intervention is necessary in this context."
About Startup AREWA
Starting from the first Bootcamp in Kaduna at the Bello Memorial Foundation Hall to its series of over 20 Bootcamps across the Northern Nigeria engaging over 5000 Startups, innovators and public-private leaders with different levels of supports from Private-public, media and Civil Society Organizations (CSO), Startup AREWA is now set to implement its 5 years strategic plan which sees the organization transcend promoting innovators and startups to providing real-time support to them.
Official website: https://startuparewa.ng
Facebook: https://facebook.com/startuparewa
Twitter: https://twitter.com/startuparewa
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startuparewa/
Call us on: +234 90 9685 9999
Email: hello@startuparewa.ng
For more information and registeration, please visit https://startuparewa.ng. For partnership opportunities please write to info@fsi.ng and contact@startuparewa.ng.
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