By Lillian Okenwa
An Abuja lawyer, Chimdindu Onyedim-Etuwewe has charged Government and gender-responsive organizations “to invest substantially in bringing digital skills to rural women and girls, to help empower business and to ensure economic stability over time.”
AttorneyOnyedim-Etuwewe in her paper — Harnessing Technology as a Way of Boosting Women’s Business and Closing the Gender Gap — delivered at a virtual session of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry held in commemoration of the 2023 International Women’s Day advised that as bridging the gender gap is being canvassed, it is important to drive and highlight policies that are important to women in businesses.
“Policies like access to data, access to funding, access to information, and digital literacy,” she said.
While pointing out that “most women are by virtue of their gender and cultural expectations disadvantaged in the business space,” Onyedim-Etuwewe, a gender advocate and Head, Legal, and Compliance, at GAMCL noted that “technology is a gateway to new public spaces, markets, and information with major potential for boosting women’s economic activity and participation.”
She further disclosed that “mobile banking, smartphones, and gender-sensitive investment strategies are expanding women’s financial inclusion, spurring entrepreneurship, and strengthening women’s autonomy and decision-making in the home and in their communities.”
However, she expressed concern that “despite the rapid growth of the country’s tech sector, only very few women have the opportunity to participate as men largely dominate the ecosystem.
“If we continue this trajectory, it will be difficult to make significant progress in Nigeria towards Sustainable Development Goal 5 which aims to achieve gender equality for all by 2030, and we will ultimately lose out on the advantages of having a more inclusive tech ecosystem.”
Again, Mrs. Onyedim-Etuwewe, a member of the International Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA Nigeria, Abuja branch, observed that: “Around the globe, many small businesses are owned by women entrepreneurs who balance business and family responsibilities. Smart technology, including phones and tablets, has made it easier to strike that balance and keep businesses growing.
“Mobile devices have brought the world of the Internet closer to homemakers, while the e-commerce boom has ensured that home-based entrepreneurs have access to virtual platforms to meet customers/clients.
“As a result, it has become easier for women to juggle between domestic responsibilities and pursue their profession, skills, talents, and hobbies to create value out of them..
“According to the World Bank, mobile payments have had a particular and positive impact for women entrepreneurs as they can benefit from digital payments. Social norms and family responsibilities, for example, often prevent women from traveling to distant suppliers or bank branches.
“Digital payments give women better access to the marketplace, reducing the need to travel far to deposit money, thereby lowering these barriers to mobility.
“Similarly, social norms can limit a female entrepreneur’s control over her earnings. But electronic payments ensure a woman’s money is private and secure, making it less likely that family members or others will demand a portion of the cash without her consent.
As we celebrate this International Women’s Day, we are inspired by the stories of women business owners. Whether they’re using the Internet to develop the skills to launch a company or powering an entire business with smartphones and mobile payments, women are changing their lives and the global economy with the businesses they run.
“Technology is providing a whole layer of support to enable growth. We must continue to advocate for women’s access to technology as a tool to bridge the gender gap.”
