AN Information and Communication Technology (ICT) expert, Asha Abinallah has urged women and girls in the country to grab opportunities in the social media platforms to transform their lives.
According to her there are numerous opportunities in the social media platforms of which when well used can help to change the life of an individual woman and contribute positively to the development of the society.
Ms Abinallah who is a Founder and CEO of the Media Convergency made the remarks recently in Dar es Salaam at the Women Safe Space organised by the Tanzania Gender Networking Programme as part of the commemoration of the International Women’s Day.
In Tanzania the day was marked under the national theme ‘Innovation and Technology Changes: A Catalyst for Gender Equality” while the international theme stresses on ‘DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality.
Ms Abinallah said one of the factors which motivated her to choose a career in ICT field is the abundant of opportunities brought by the online platforms.
“The opportunities in the online platforms are the ones which have made me who I am today,” Ms Abinallah said.
She said women and girls should know how to use online platforms for their benefits rather than posting beauty- related content such as their photos which will not earn them anything.
“The way we present ourselves on social media we as well reflect of our lives … you should evaluate the kind of people who are attracted with your content, “she said.
She said women and girls can grab opportunities in social media to market their products and services, find new markets, scholarship, trainings or information which are useful in changing their lives.
“We should be cautious on the content we post on social media because it tells a lot about you and can have huge consequences in your career and life in general,” Ms Abinallah insisted.
On her part, TGNP Executive Director Ms Lilian Liundi said that, the safe space for women focused on issues related to gender, innovation and technology.
“This is part of the TGNP programme dubbed Gender, ICT and Innovation Hub … the programme aimed at encouraging women and girls to use the opportunities brought by ICT and innovation to promote gender equality,” she said.
MsLiundi further detailed that, the programme was introduced in 2017 and to date it has managed to work with girls at the Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology (DIT) on using ICT and innovation in addressing gender related challenges.
“We have also managed to devise a system known as WO men Konect Portal which will be launched in the near future,” Ms Liundi said.
She further detailed that as part of the program TGNP in collaboration with the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups has managed to create a system of Women and Leadership.
“This program is expected to promote gender focused statistics through our research and analysis department,” she said.
IWD is marked on March 8th every year. It is a global day, celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.
