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As part of its mandate, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) said it has consistently focused on supporting women and youth empowerment towards the digital economy.
According to the Director General of NITDA, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, this is in line with the agency’s mission to create an “enabling environment where Nigerians could develop, adopt and derive value from digital technology.”
Abdullahi affirmed that NITDA has initiated series of programmes in pursuit of these objectives while speaking at the at the launching of Women and Youth Export Facility (WAYEF) organized by the Nigerian Export–Import Bank (NEXIM) with the theme: ‘Unlocking Export Market Opportunities for Women and Youth.’
Also speaking at the event, the Minister for Women Affairs, Dame Pauline K. Tallen, assured that her ministry will continue to work with NEXIM by addressing all the challenges inherent in empowering women.
The NITDA has in the recent past conducted trainings for women in ICT and an array of digital capacity development programmes for artisans in order to promote digital economy, said Abdullahi. He was represented at the event by Deputy Director, Corporate Planning and Strategy, Dr Aristotle Onumo.
WAYEF is a credit line designed to promote small and medium enterprises (SMEs) particularly those owned by women and young people interested in exporting local products and services offshore. Abdullahi said WAYEF aligns with NITDA’s initiatives of capacity building for women and youth.
While commending the WAYEF initiative, the NITDA’s boss reiterated that several empowerment programmes for women by the agency have taken place across the country including Ekiti, Gombe, Jigawa and Nasarawa states. Others are in Delta, Imo, Osun, Kogi and Niger states.
He added that the recent commissioning of the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics in Abuja was part of the overall mission at providing trainings for individuals and SMEs within different industry verticals.
While launching the product, Executive Director, Business Development of NEXIM, Hon. Stella Okotete, highlighted the features of the WAYEF. She stated that this credit line is available to all Nigerians who are willing to export Nigerian local products across the world.
She also asserted that beyond the facility, they also provide advisory services, and export insurance among others.
Her words: “With the adequate documentation you will get the facility within 30 days and the interest rate has been dropped from 9% to 5% for those who would access the line before February 2022.”
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