First Lady rallies Lira women on embracing ICT
"This is critical for the advancement of women in this digital era, especially the younger generation of girls, who are the mothers of the future and whom we will rely on, to effectively nurture the next generation," said Mrs Museveni.
Fisheries state minister Hellen Adoa reading the speech of the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports Mrs Janet Museveni at Awiodyek Primary School on Thursday, March 13. (Photos by Joseph Ekol)
Joseph Ekol
Journalist @New Vision
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First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports Mrs Janet Museveni has urged women to embrace information and communications technology (ICT) and the digital era in order to increase their productivity and income.
Mrs Museveni made the call in a speech delivered on her behalf by fisheries state minister Hellen Adoa, who represented her as the guest of honour during Lira district's celebrations to mark International Women’s Day at Awiodyek sub-county in Lira district.
She said there is a need to help the majority of the rural women, who acquire their livelihood from agriculture, transition from labour-intensive and time-consuming traditional agriculture methods, to a modernised and sustainable agriculture.
According to her, this increases production and promotes practices that protect women and the environment as they move towards engaging in commercial farming.
“For acceleration to happen, we also need to witness more women being supported to understand the complexity of the ever-changing methods of production and marketing of their products, through embracing technology to increase their productivity and income,” she explained.
Lira district Women in a group photo with Fisheries state minister Hellen Adoa at Awiodyek Primary School during the Women's Day celebration on Thursday.
She highlighted that, the world and advancement of technology is evolving very fast and therefore, more women both young and old, must shift from thinking that this is a man’s world and that they require permission to take advantage of the progress and transformation that surround them.
According to her, now more than ever, women need support to overcome the socio-economic barriers they face in order to engage meaningfully in this era of information technology and the digital world that is still largely perceived as a men’s space.
"This is critical for the advancement of women in this digital era, especially the younger generation of girls, who are the mothers of the future and whom we will rely on, to effectively nurture the next generation," she said.
Adoa called on the Lango parliamentarians to unite and support each other to develop their constituents.
“There are 31 Members of Parliament; their unity determines the development of the people of Lango; if there is an event in one constituency and they all contribute just shillings one million, it can enable the host MP to be able to support the electorates and their livelihoods are improved,” Adoa said.
She further stresses that when MPs in the region decide to isolate themselves and work alone, the work becomes heavy for them; hence they cannot do much and their electorates remain in poverty as they also cry out to the government for assistance.
Erute South Member of Parliament Jonathan Odur appealed to the Government to expedite the cattle compensation to relieve the claimants from the abject poverty which they are now facing following the cattle raid by the Karamojong cattle rustlers.
Lira District Woman MP Linda Auma thanked the Government for introducing several transformation and empowerment programmes that have enabled women in the formerly war-torn area to engage in economic activities that are earning them household incomes and enabling them to pay children in schools and acquire basic needs.