Gender and Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) In Nigeria: Challenges and Prospects

Abstract

In contemporary civilized Nigeria, the Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) has become a household name used in offices and at homes to access, receive and retrieve information. Many innovations in the world today are as a result of the exposure and access to the world of the ICTs and people all over the world can access any other parts of the world to receive information about anything that borders on their interest in life. Women in their quest for empowerment and societal recognition have adopted and accepted ICT as an instrument for their advancement and empowerment. This is manifested in their previous two world conferences in Nairobi, 1985 and Beijing, 1995, where among several areas of concern, the role of the media in subordinating women featured prominently. But unfortunately, despite the much emphasis placed on the use of ICTs in Nigeria, women are often underrepresented in terms of access and use. It is against this background that this paper examines the challenges and prospects of ICT utilization among women in Nigeria. These challenges include lack of infrastructure, education and skills; urban-bias; and sociocultural and economicchallenges.The study concludes that to address these gender gaps in ICTs in Nigeria, all hands must be on deck to change women's attitudes towards ICT use by overcoming technophobia;women should be provided with educational and economic empowerment; government ICT policies and programs must address the needs of women; andthe civil society should be part and parcel of this crusade for the betterment of women and the society at large.