In its bid to bridge the digital gender gap in the Niger Delta, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Stakeholders Democracy Network (SDN) has intensified its efforts with a roundtable policy review in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.

The event was also an opportunity to present the draft ICT policy reforms by the Bayelsa State team led by its Steering Committee Chairman, Tariere Egbegi and Tari Okorotie, Technical Adviser to the Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri.

Declaring the workshop open, the Deputy Programme Manager, SDN, Ifeoma Ndekwu, said recent research funded by the EU and implemented by the NGO shows a significant gap of about 11 per cent in gender digital gap in the Niger Delta.

She noted that the workshop was part of the policy recommendation after the research, which mandated states in the region to design digital ICT policies that are suited to the special challenges and opportunities in each location.

She said: “Let me start by saying that this project is funded by the European Union and implemented by stakeholders and Democracy Network.”

“Basically, we found out that there is an existing digital gender gap, around 11 per cent in the Niger Delta and we are trying to see how we can bridge that gap; and in doing that we must have a gender responsive ICT policy to enforce things where we are implementing this project and Bayelsa State happens to be one of them.

“The roundtable workshop is to gather key stakeholders within the state to review the draft ICT policy that has been developed through the support of the Ministry of Communication Science and Technology.

“The next plan of action as mentioned by the Technical Adviser to the Governor is to have a larger engagement with more Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) within the state before it gets the assent of the state governor.”

While presenting the draft, Okorotie said the policy outlined the framework for the development, deployment and implementation of the ICT infrastructure across the state.

“The mission is to ensure that no citizen is left out in Bayelsa digital transformation by bridging the digital divide, promoting inclusive growth across all sectors and delivering accessible and integrated public services and harnessing the power of ICT,” Okorotie said.