Information Technology (IT) has been promoted as an important tool in
ensuring that marginalized groups, particularly women, are included in the
development of the global information society. The importance of
mainstreaming gender in national and organizational information and
communication technology (ICT) policies and strategies cannot be
overstated. While IT alone cannot end gender inequality, it can help catalyze
social change and empowerment. This paper focused on the importance of
IT for poverty reduction and for the economic empowerment of poor women
in Nigeria bearing in minds that in most rural communities in Nigeria; only
the most primitive telecommunications infrastructure is currently available.
The paper also assesses Internet connectivity in Nigeria, and investigates
infrastructure issues that impede access by women to information
technologies and other factors such as the language barriers and policy
issues. The study also presents case studies on improved women’s economic
status through information technology.