UMWA boss calls for national digital skilling programme

The Executive Director of the Uganda Media Women’s Association (UMWA), Margaret Sentamu has underscored the need for a national programme to train women and girls on how to use digital tools.

Her call comes as the globe commemorates International Women’s Day with a call to advance innovation and technology for gender equality.

Speaking to KFM, Sentamu said today’s theme serves as a reminder that technology is an enabler to achieving gender equality and thus digital devices should be made affordable.

She, however, says it is unfortunate that 70% of women in the country do not know how to use digital tools as compared to their male counterparts.

According to Sentamu they recently organized a two-day digital training for women leaders in Nakawa and Kawempe divisions and were shocked to discover that whereas majority of them owned smartphones, they did not know how to use them.

“Government of Uganda should ensure that taxes on technology go down and also they should run a national programme to train the women and men so that they can pick a skill and also get the knowledge to utilise these digital tools,” Sentamu told KFM.

National Women’s Day celebrations are being held in Kiruhura district under the local theme; “Equal opportunities in education, science and technology”.

Written by Ritah Kemigisa