The Challenges of Using Information Technology (IT) As a Veritable Tool for the Empowerment of Women: a Road-Map.

Abstract

Empowerment refers to increasing the spiritual, political, social, educational, or economic strength of an individual(s) and community(ies). It includes encouraging and developing the skills for, self-sufficiency, with a focus on eliminating the future need for charity or welfare in the individual or group. The natural endowment of the women/female folk is particularly informative when considering her enduring roles in any human endeavor. Nature has uniquely bestowed on the female to mother, nurture, unify and uplift the human society. Ideally, as a mother, she conceives, delivers, tends and fends for the child to a well- balanced adult. Similarly the IT (Information Technology) world, should borrow a leaf from nature by encouraging the women folk to participate at the conceptual planning and implementation stages in achieving the millennium development goals in Nigeria using IT strategies and tools (MILDEG). In this paper, therefore, the authors throw up the underlying challenges, opportunities and prospects of the empowerment of our female folks towards the technological boom of our nation, via the creation, use and application of IT and related technology.

Keyword: Information Technology (IT), Empowerment, Telecommunication links, VSAT, WITED, Electronic Fund Transfer, Job creation.