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Women and ICT: A crucial link

ICT journalism is an area of importance, an area that if we as journalist ignore, will be doing that at the risk of letting our profession go down the drain. But closely related to this is the issue of women and icts. Traditionally in Africa, women have been sidelined in terms of use and access to ICTs. Majority of them lack skills in this area that for a long time has been seen as a male bastion.

Women are key to the development of any nation and strides have been made and continue to be made to include them in different sectors. Efforts have been made to encourage women to study sciences more and be involved, in the financial and management sector women have also been included. But in the ICT arena women have taken a back seat and this is because of several reasons; first and foremost is because they have no knowledge and information regarding ICTs. The media has not made ICTs its topmost agenda and even in cases where it has done so, it has not specifically targeted women. Women also lack the skills to ably use and manage ICTs.

Use of ICts provides the much needed information that empowers women, hence improve their social and economic lives.