The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board says it has collaborated with the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria to promote science, technology, engineering and Mathematics curricula in secondary schools across the country, with special focus on the girl child.
In a statement, it disclosed that the partnership with the association was launched at St. Jude’s Girls Secondary School Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, under the ‘STEM-it-out-4girls” campaign with the theme “Interest and proficiency in STEM’.
The Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Simbi Wabote, represented by Deputy Manager, Capacity Building Division, Mofe Megbele, expressed the board’s readiness to collaborate with the association in accomplishing programmes and policies geared to promote capacity development for the female gender.
He quoted Section 70 (n) of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act, which provides for the board to conduct workshops and trainings aimed at advancing the development of Nigerian content.
He said, “There is no local content without human capacity development and there has been significant growth achieved through the implementation of the 10-year strategic roadmaps for the oil and gas industry to accelerate the attainment of 70 percent Nigerian Content by 2027.”
He added that the importance of educating girls in the society could not be overemphasised, noting that the country could only advance based on the quality of well-educated young girls.
According to him, an educated girl child could confront the issues facing humanities in the 21st century such as peace and security, climate change, sustainable development, food production, environmental issues.
While commending the association, the executive secretary assured that the board would continue to support, monitor, and evaluate the growth and performances of the female students benefitting from the STEM programme and competition.
The President, APWEN, Elizabeth Eterigho, said, “The training is targeted at increasing awareness on engineering as a suitable career for girls, to improve the numerical strength of female engineers in Nigeria; It also provides the girl child with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the rapidly changing world.”
