Abuja: TECHz – News Desk
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is taking a decisive step toward closing the gender gap in Nigeria’s tech ecosystem. In a strategic move to empower women and girls, the agency has partnered with the National Association of Women in Colleges of Education (NAWICE) to roll out a nationwide digital literacy, entrepreneurship, and STEM training initiative.
The collaboration took shape during a high-level meeting at NITDA’s headquarters in Abuja, where Zainab Inuwa Adamu, the North-West Zonal Coordinator for NAWICE, officially invited NITDA Director-General Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi to serve as a patron for the association’s upcoming national conference. For over three decades, NAWICE has been a cornerstone in empowering female educators and young girls through practical vocational training. Now, with NITDA’s backing, the association is ready to pivot these empowerment efforts toward technology and digital innovation.
Abdullahi emphasized that to truly make an impact, capacity building must be sustained rather than treated as a one-off intervention. He proposed a comprehensive digital literacy and IT skills program specifically tailored for NAWICE members, with a nationwide rollout targeted to launch alongside their upcoming conference.
The curriculum is expected to move beyond basic computer skills, delving into practical business applications designed to strengthen women-led ventures by focusing on digital marketing, business planning, and tech-driven entrepreneurship. Beyond the educators themselves, the initiative relies on a cascading mentorship model. The goal is for these newly equipped educators to pass their tech knowledge down to the young girls they support, fostering a new generation of digitally fluent women.
Reaffirming NITDA’s commitment to gender-inclusive innovation, the Director-General stressed the importance of expanding the STEM pipeline. The agency aims to create robust opportunities that encourage young Nigerian women to pursue high-growth careers in emerging fields like artificial intelligence, data science, and digital innovation. To ensure the success of the program, NITDA has pledged concrete support, including the provision of necessary digital tools and learning resources.
In a move to further integrate NAWICE into the broader tech community, Abdullahi also extended a formal invitation for the association’s members to participate in the highly anticipated Digital Nigeria Conference 2026. This partnership marks a vital transition for women’s empowerment in Nigeria – evolving traditional vocational support into forward-looking technological proficiency.
