CITAD calls on stakeholders to focus on ICT marginalization in the country

By Punarimam Fehintola

A Civil Society Organisation CITAD has called on all stakeholders in the country to reflect on the huge challenges of digital divide and ICT marginalization in Nigeria.

The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) urged the government at all levels to ensure that internet Policies are on ground aimed at solving the digital problems the country is facing today.

The  Programme Assistant  CITAD Ms. Salma Abdulwaheed made this call at a press briefing during the ‘World International Telecommunication and Information Society Day’, on Friday in Abuja.

Further, Abdulwaheed said the World International Telecommunication and Information Society Day was initially called The World Telecommunication Day’ to commemorate the founding of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) which was started in 1865. Adding that, the main objective of the day is to raise global awareness of societal changes brought about by the internet and new technologies and aiming to help reduce the digital divide.

“While the world is moving to bridge the standardization gap with programmes aim to facilitate the efficient participation of developing countries in Information Technology Union’s standards-making process, to disseminate information about existing standards, we in Nigeria are far left behind in terms of accessibility, availability and penetration levels of the internet and its usage. This is even worse when it comes to access and use of the internet by women and girls who face many obstacles related to culture, level education and gender norms etc.

“Therefore, if the country will continue to move in this direction, without developing quick and effective, pragmatic approach towards solving the problems around access to information and the internet through creation of a robust mechanism of bridging the digital divide, the country will remain under developed and  thus, our economic and other social problems will further increase”, she added.

CITAD made series of appeals to the government to provide an enabling environment for actors willing to contribute in the sector to help mitigate the problems.

“Government should ensure that citizens have fair access to data free of monopoly of the internet service providers.

“All government agencies must not only be ICT friendly but stick to use of ICTs in their day to day operations and that should be made compulsory on all staff to have the basic knowledge and skill of ICT.

“Prepare to address the issue of gender base violence online which is a major factor that promotes digital marginalization of women.”

While addressing the private sector, shec urged ICT companies working in the country should to include targeting corporate social responsibility projects towards educating and training the citizens in the area of ICT, as well as support CSOs that are working in the areas of ICTs to promote campaigns and awareness creation among the citizens in need to migrate from the analogue behavior to digital,” she stressed.

“They should reduce high cost of data and facilities especially in the rural area.”

She urged CSOs to intensify campaign on the need for the citizens to adopt and push the access and use internet in their endeavors.

The General Assembly adopted a resolution (A/RES/60/252) in March 2006 stipulating that World Information Society Day shall be celebrated every year on 17th May, at the request of the World Summit in 2005. Which the first World Information Society Day took place 17th May 2006.