ICTs can transform the lives of women

By Isabella Gyau Orhin

The Business Development Officer of the Ghana India, Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, Sarata Adams has said Information Communication Technology (ICTs) can transform the way women live and the way development takes place in Africa and the world at large.
Speaking at the Just-ended, African E-governance conference in Accra last week, she said, “technologies have many potential benefits for women such as e-commerce and improved access of women to distance learning and work programme.”
She said Africa is in the midst of dramatic technological transformation where women have played a key role in the transformation across society.
“Women are leaders, entrepreneurs and role models in such positions,” she said.
According to Ms. Adams some visits to some internet cafes in Ghana have shown the enthusiasm with which women are using the internet.

In spite of these, Ms. Adams believe ICT use remains difficult if not impossible for majority of women.
She said there is the need to get young women interested in ICT and also to get employers and workplace culture to encourage women.
Ms. Adams recommended among others, special ICT education programmes, subsides on ICT training for women, workshops and stability in the ICT labour market.
She said girls should also be encouraged to pursue ICT courses while women re-entering the job market should be encouraged to opt for ICT training and ICT jobs.
Added to these there is the need to broaden the perception of what ICT is about as well as develop scholarship schemes for women interested in studying ICT at the higher level.
Also said African governments must ensure that women living on the continent take advantage of opportunities offered by engendering ICTs and transforming the ICT systems using rights based approach.
Government should also create an enabling environment that will encourage more women to join the ICT Industry.
African women’s rights activists insist that Women have scientific and technological expertise and knowledge which should be made more accessible. They also have specific concerns and perspectives which need to be integrated into ICT systems as well as into information systems for sustainable and equitable development.
They also say the ability to communicate their perspectives and concerns is a central empowerment issue, both for publication of their concerns and perspectives, and for access to information and education that will promote women's consciousness-raising. Further, the decentralised, interactive and non-hierarchical nature of these technologies present a non-threatening space for women to develop their views, opinions, benefit from the synergy of interactive communications with women. In addition, once the initial costs of access and technology are covered, ICTs present a low-cost and relatively simple mode of publishing newsletters, articles, statements, etc.
They say the experience of other communications media indicates that if women should be actively involved in the definition, development and information in the new technologies in order to create a space that is conducive to the discussion of their concerns represents their perspectives and abilities in a non-threatening, non-stereotypical manner, and addresses their concerns. Incidents of negative stereotyping, discrimination against women and sexual harassment are already evident online.
Also new strategies for ICT implementation, delivery and use need to be implemented to encourage women's use of ICTs. They will need to include mixed-media and mixed technologies, locally-based distribution systems, and housing in organisational and sectoral contexts which fit with women's daily responsibilities and cater to their time constraints.

Supporting Ms. Adams, a lecturer from the Akan Department, University of Education Mrs. Joanna Portia Antwi-Danso called for a localization of ICT to aid women and others who are not highly literate in eh use of ICTs.

She said survey has proved that majority of aged citizens, especially women are semi literates. “Their educational background is up to basic level and as such their ability to read and write and understand the local languages is far better and overwhelming than they in a second language such as English.”

ICTs offers possibilities and opportunities for development but hey are meaningful only if their content reflect local conditions, she explained.
Localisation if ICT is a way of customizing programmes and materials to suit local people and to have impact on the culture of the local communities.

“Today, in almost every home in Ghana, mobile phone is a common item. She said adding, “I believe that when the language of this technology is localised, a lot more Ghanaians including the aged can use their phones more enjoyably and beneficially.
She said illiterates and semi literate artisans, craftsmen and farmers do not understand the language of the computer and are not attracted to it and therefore never use it in anything.
Localisation of programmes according to her is beneficial because it ensures that IT solutions are taken into higher heights and are more accessible. It also represents a breakthrough for Ghanaian language linguistic and literary studies as well as Ghanaian cultural studies in general.
According to Mrs. Antwi-Danso, localization of programmes ensure that the values and experiences of local cultures are preserved while facilitating work for employees and thereby enhancing work effectiveness
She said in South Africa, computer laboratories are being rolled out into schools where kids do not have English as a mother tongue.
Also software translation efforts are under way in Dares salaam for East Africa’s 130 million Kiswahili speakers and in Kampala for Ugandan software that could be used by 12 million people.
In Kenya also, the localization project has made IT solution more accessible to the Kenyan community as well as to more than 90 percent of the population.
“Finland is a successful example a country that applies local language –Finnish –in all walks of life. Today, the Finnish have succeeded in adopting ICT in their language,” she said.


Source : Public Agenda Ghana