I guess Nigerian women are not left out in ICT development in Nigeria, as a new NGO named W.TEC has adopted Web 2.0 tools and technologies in order to facilitate knowledge gathering and sharing amongst Nigerian women.

The Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre (W.TEC) is a Nigerian non-governmental organisation working for the economic and social empowerment of girls and women, using information and communication technologies (ICTs).

W.TEC was launched in 2008 by Oreoluwa Somolu who blogs at Ore’s Notes and was recently interviewed by Sokari Ekine of Kabissa.

W.TEC presently works on two fronts: Networking for Success and the Girls Technology Camp.

• The Networking for Success project, funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), trains women to use web 2.0 technologies (or social media tools including blogs, wikis, podcasts) to facilitate knowledge gathering and sharing in their work. This project was primarily aimed at women working for NGOs and other social and economic development programmes, but was later opened up to include women working in other fields, recent graduates, and stay-at-home mothers.

• The W.TEC Girls Technology Camp, a 1-week residential camp aimed at introducing Nigerian female secondary school students to ICTs; as well as highlighting the relevance of ICTs to academic and professional pursuits, and giving them fundamental knowledge of technology-related careers. The camp is targeted at secondary (high) school girls between the ages of 11 and 17.

W.TEC also aims to research and publish works that examine pivotal issues concerning the ways African women use information and communication technology, the barriers preventing or limiting technology use, and strategies for more efficient and effective use of ICTs. You can read more from their blog.

They have a Facebook group called Women & Technology in Africa, which shares information about the African women’s use of ICTs as well as information about W.TEC’s activities.