MTN pushes for greater opportunities for girls in ICT

MTN Nigeria has thrown its weight behind the global campaign by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to encourage more girls and young women to consider careers in the ICT industry. This commitment was made by the company’s General Manager in charge of Regulatory Affairs, Oyeronke Oyetunde, during the celebration of the ‘International Girls in ICT […]

MTN Nigeria has thrown its weight behind the global campaign by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to encourage more girls and young women to consider careers in the ICT industry.

This commitment was made by the company’s General Manager in charge of Regulatory Affairs, Oyeronke Oyetunde, during the celebration of the ‘International Girls in ICT Day 2017’ organized by ‘eBusiness Life’ magazine.

 Commenting on the theme of this year’s campaign – ‘Expanding horizons, changing attitudes,’ Oyetunde said the empowerment of the female folk has taken on a new urgency especially with many countries now forecasting a shortage of skilled ICT professionals within the next ten years.

“This is why it is even more vital that we attract young women into the technology space, which will not only empower them, but also serve as a springboard to overcome cultural and social barriers that may prevent them from accessing life-changing opportunities. We need to create these large scale opportunities if we are to sustain healthy growth rates for the overall benefit of the industry,” she concluded.

According to her, MTN’s support for this campaign is further motivated by the fact that there is a growing number of women in the company who are doing well in a field that used to be an exclusive male preserve.