MCP legislator Nancy Tembo lauds NICE as 102 women, girls graduate in ICT studies

Malawi Congress Party (MCP) member of Parliament for Lilongwe City South West, Nancy Tembo, has lauded the National Initiative for Civic Education (Nice) Trust for introducing free information and communication technology (ICT) studies targeting girls and young women in Lilongwe Urban.

Tembo observed that ICT is becoming a necessity for social and economic growth of every society; hence, it is commendable that organisations such as NICE are taking steps to bring the gap that is currently there in the sector.

The legislator made the remarks on Friday during the presentation of certificates to 102 girls and young women who had successfully completed their ICT studies Lilongwe Urban.

Under its Nice Ambassador for Girls Empowerment (NAGE) project, the Trust is providing free ICT training to girls and young women in Lilongwe Urban to enable them actively participate in economic, governance, political and social life.

The Friday graduation, which was graced by the member of Parliament (MP) herself, the councillor and traditional leaders, saw the number of girls and young women who have benefitted from the project hitting 800, so far.

And in her remarks, Tembo hailed NICE for the initiative, emphasising that this will go a long way in empowering girls and women to acquire business skills necessary for attaining self-reliance.

“I wish to assure NICE management that I will try my best to mobilise a few computers, which I will donate to them. They are doing a commendable job worth my support and the support of any well-meaning Malawian,” she said.

And speaking before the presentation of the certificates, the NICE Regional Civic Education Officer (Centre), Christopher Naphiyo, stressed that the major objective of the project is to create civic empowerment for girls and women who rarely participate in economic, social and geopolitical life of their societies.

“We realised that most women lack capacity for accessing information on critical issues such as governance and politics using modern technologies. That’s why they choose to keep quiet on important national issues even when such issues are directly affecting them,” he explained.

Naphiyo assured that his organisation remains committed to increasing and promoting girls’ and women participation in service delivery tracking and influencing government policies.

However, the Regional Civic Education Officer appealed for more support from both the public and private sectors, saying the Trust does not have adequate resources to meet the growing demand for computer lessons among girls and young women.

NICE district civic education officer for Lilongwe Urban, Hajira Ali, said apart from ITC course, the women and girls also undergo intensive training in fashioning and designing.

Ali said this has assisted some of the girls and women to secure jobs while others are pursuing various business opportunities using the skills they got from the project.

The graduates assured NICE and the legislator that they will use the skills acquired to contribute towards nation-building and also promote economic activities among women in their localities.

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