By Philip Yatai

Aid Foundation, an NGO, says on Tuesday that it will empower young girls and prepare them to effectively contest for political offices and appointments in Kaduna State.

The Executive Director of the organisation, Mr Emmanuel Bonet, who made this known in Kaduna said that the NGO’s engagement of older women has not been very strategic.

According to him, young girls have more potentials if proper groomed and empowered early enough to actively participate in politics.

“We want to focus on young girl because we feel that they have great potentials to tap from the political spaces being provided for women to contribute to the development of the state.

“So, in the next couple of years, beginning from 2020, we will be empowering young girls, build their capacity and get them ready to fill political positions through elections and appointments in Kaduna state.”

He explained that the girls would be empowered under the organisation’s youth development programme, with particular attention to Civic Technology.

He described civic tech. as the use of technology to enable greater citizen’s participation in governance, adding that it assists in delivering services and strengthens government ties with the public. 

He, however, pointed out that most young girls were not taking advantage of technology-based platforms to engage and provide solutions to societal problems like their male counterpart.

He said that Aid Foundation, has, therefore, concluded plans to create a brand of young girls equipped with the needed skills on how to use civic tech. to develop solutions to problems affecting the state.

“This among other things will be our focus in 2020 in the area of youth development.

“We want to prepare our youth, particularly young girls not to only participate in governance, but contribute in providing solutions to our problems,” Bonet said.