By Brenda Zulu

The African regional preparatory conference for the World Summit on Information
Society (WSIS) has called on people to give more consideration and a voice to the rural women of Africa.
African women continue to face uphill battles to get their voices and concerns heard in development matters, the workshop on ICTs and poverty reduction revealed when Salamatu Garba, national coordinator for the Women Farmers Advanced Network (WOFAN) presented a case study of women farmers of Kano in Nigeria.
Her presentation showcased Africa as one of the most important, yet challenging areas for those who aim to achieve gender equality while using information technology as a tool in poverty reduction.
As formal or legislated discrimination against women falls away, the key challenge confronting Africa is how to change mindsets hardened by centuries of socialisation and cemented by custom, culture and religion.
Garba’s presentation on grass roots economic empowerment and ICTs showed that priorities and the potential of women seem grossly undermined and limited in new media, whereas traditional media, such as radio, appear to have improved the status of women in Kano who were previously forced into stereotypical female roles.
Garba said WOFAN operates in rural areas of Kano state in northern Nigeria where girls are often married at 10 or 12 and are, in many cases poor, pregnant and powerless. She said WOFAN has developed the rights of women and children in Islam.
She explained that WOFAN discovered that as most women were illiterate, they were dependent on men to interpret what the Koran had to say about reproductive rights.
Women have since studied and learnt to interpret the Koran for themselves. They now use radio programmes to teach other women about their rights and about how they have been denied access to health, livelihoods, empowerment and functional literacy.