Izuchukwu Okosi
In an effort to continue empowering the female gender with all the key skills needed in today’s increasingly competitive job market, the United States Consulate General has selected 300 high school girls in Osun State, to pursue educational careers in STEM fields.
The 300 high school girls were selected to be part of a training programme tagged “Osun Girls Can Code”, the programme is designed to build capacity, skills and educate participants in areas such as web design, product creation and coding. 60 female STEM teachers from Osun State are also going to be trained on how to mentor women and girls about careers in technology field.
STEM is a project of the U.S. Mission to Nigeria, to encourage girls and women in technology-learning programmes.
Speaking during the unveiling of the project in Osogbo, U.S. Consul General Claire Pierangelo highlighted the gains of the project to include: mentorship, networking, internship, capacity building and supportive community for the girls to grow within the next six months.
She said, the “Osun Girls Can Code” program is one of the many initiatives of the U.S. Mission that seeks to ensure gender parity, and provide women and girls with opportunities to contribute to creating sustainable and inclusive economic prosperity for Nigeria.
Pierangelo Claire, said. “United States promotes the rights and empowerment of women and girls in our foreign policy, and we have invested millions of dollars to advance gender equality across sub-Saharan Africa,” Pierangelo said.
“When barriers to the participation of women and girls in STEM fields are removed, we all benefit. Whether at home or abroad, promoting women in the STEM fields is a U.S. government priority.”
The project will end with a pitch competition to showcase the participants’ achievements, with U.S. Consulate representatives taking part on the panel and the winning schools receiving prizes.
A 2016 Mandela Washington Fellow, Dayo Adeniyi, is implementing the project with a public diplomacy grant from the U.S. Consulate General.
The U.S. government has introduced a number of programs to create opportunities for women in the tech field. In 2011, the U.S. government introduced the TechWomen program to empower the next generation of women leaders in the technology field.
This exchange program brings together women in Northern California with their counterparts in the Middle East, Central Asia, North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa including Nigeria for a professional mentorship at leading technology companies in the U.S.
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