The Nigerian Women in Information Technology (NIWIIT) is set for its 7th National Conference which encompasses the 10th anniversary and 8th AGM of the association was held June 22 and 23, 2022 at Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja.
The President of the Association, Dele Bayo-Osibo also announced that NIWIIT has the responsibility to ensure that the technology needs of women have to be catered for, and “we are also IT technicians.”
On how the two-day event ran, Bayo-Osibo said: “We combined the three events because of the tensed situation in the country now, politics and election drawing close, but at the end of the day, we did have our 7th annual national conference. We tried to be conservative about all that we do.”
With the theme: ‘Unleashing Innovations, Scaling Up Digital Skills for Women & Girls,’ Bayo-Osibo said that the association had carefully selected professionals from different fields for the panel session that was moderated by the Country Leader of Microsoft Nigeria, while Funke Opeke, managing director, MainOne, was the keynote speaker.
According to her, “There was paper presentation, and we invited resource person who took participants on a free practical training about information technology; that is why our targeted audience in this conference were women, young ladies who have interest in information technology and also understand that IT is a leverage every woman must follow. We also contracted medical personnel who conducted free cancer screening. Insurance experts were also there and created awareness and other professionals on mortgages and whole lot. It was a pack-full event.”
She added that the association also conducted induction of new members before the AGM on June 23. “There were awards given to those who have contributed immensely to the success of the association. It was a full- programme,” she further said.
Furthermore, Bayo-Osibo said the association has considered the economic situation of the country, and has been very careful to tailor the pricing.
According to her, for non-members of the association, the cost is N25,000. “If compared to the knowledge and packages participants will receive, you will discover that the amount is nothing,” she said.
Speaking on the vision of the association, Osibo said: “Our vision was to involve as many women as possible in information technology. The detail of where we are as a country and a world is that IT has become a leverage for everything that everybody does. Now, it has become a very digital world.
“We have achieved a lot of advocacies; we have gone round to different places to talk about the need to energise women digitally. We have raised entrepreneurial spirit of women. Our mandate also covers women and girl child. We have a future plan to train girls in the secondary schools in the area of robotics.
“As an association, we have a national office and then every federating state of Nigeria has a branch, and this has enabled us to reach far and wide. Presently, we have 18 chapters and we will continue to expand to reach all parts of the country.”