F. I. AMADIN

This study examined the impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on the socio-economic empowerment of women in Ahoada East and Ahoada West Local Government Areas of Rivers State, Nigeria. ICT has been widely recognized as a tool for development; however, women in rural communities often experience limited access and use due to infrastructural, economic, and socio-cultural challenges. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. A sample of 384 women was selected using Cochran’s sample size formula. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire titled ICT and Women’s Socio-Economic Empowerment Questionnaire (ICTWSE-Q). Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (simple linear regression) were employed for data analysis at a 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that women in the study area have moderate access to ICT tools, particularly mobile phones, and make regular use of ICT for communication and economic activities. ICT access, training, and use were found to significantly enhance women’s income generation, decision-making power, access to education and health information, and participation in entrepreneurial activities. However, major barriers such as poor electricity supply, high cost of data and devices, limited digital skills, and socio-cultural restrictions significantly hinder effective ICT adoption. All null hypotheses tested were rejected, indicating that ICT has a significant positive influence on women’s socio-economic empowerment. The study concludes that ICT is a powerful tool for empowering women in rural communities, but its full potential can only be realized through improved infrastructure, affordable ICT services, targeted digital literacy programs, and gender-sensitive policies aimed at promoting inclusive and sustainable development.

Elections are the cornerstone of democratic governance, enabling citizens to select leaders and influence policy direction. However, Nigeria’s electoral processes have been plagued by challenges such as vote tampering, lack of transparency, logistical inefficiencies, and voter disenfranchisement. These issues diminish public trust and undermine the credibility of election outcomes. To address these concerns, this project introduces a block chain-based voting system, leveraging the Ethereum blockchain and Solidity smart contracts to ensure decentralization, transparency, and immutability of election data. The proposed Voting App integrates a Solidity-based smart contract deployed on the Ethereum Sepolia testnet, handling essential voting processes such as voter registration, candidate management, secure vote casting, and real-time result verification. The smart contract ensures that votes are securely recorded on the blockchain, preventing tampering and enabling public verifiability. Voter authentication is strengthened through facial recognition technology and wallet-based verification using wallets such as MetaMask, ensuring that only verified voters can participate. The frontend, built with Next.js, interacts seamlessly with a Node.js backend and MongoDB database, providing a responsive and user-friendly experience. The system’s architecture supports robust election management, with administrative functions restricted to authorised personnel through role-based access controls. Performance evaluations demonstrated low-latency transaction processing, gas-efficient operations, and high scalability, while comprehensive security testing confirmed resilience against vulnerabilities such as reentrancy attacks and unauthorised access. Despite the current reliance on a local host environment for testing, future deployment on public blockchain networks and integration with national identification databases could revolutionise Nigeria’s electoral landscape. The Voting App presents a secure, transparent, and efficient alternative to traditional voting systems, showcasing the transformative potential of blockchain technology and Solidity smart contracts in delivering credible and inclusive democratic elections.