THE National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has started the training of 100 women in the Northcentral zone on the application of Information Communication Technology (ICT) tools to enhance their trade and businesses and sharpen their entrepreneurship skills.

Its Director-General, Abdullahi Kashifu said the training was part of efforts to bridge gender inequality in ICT related ventures and further empowered the women to be more productive and contribute to the economic development of the country.

While participants were drawn from Niger, Kwara, Benue, Plateau, Kogi, and Nasarawa states as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Kashifu said the programme was the fourth consecutive zonal capacity building programme and training for women.

It has been held in Jigawa State for the Northwest zone, Gombe state for the northeast zone and Ekiti State for the Southwest zone. We shall conduct the programme for the south south and south east zones before the end of the fourth quarter of 2020, Kashifu added.

Declaring the programmes open at the Nasarawa State Polytechnic, Lafiya, the Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule said it had become necessary for the state to move its economy from solid minerals resources to ICT and knowledge-based economy.