NITDA’s Tech Revolution Has a Woman’s Face
By Fatimah Yusuf Usman
For decades, the tech industry has quietly drawn a line — a line that too often separates potential from opportunity, brilliance from recognition, and especially, women from access. In Nigeria, that narrative is changing. And at the centre of that change is a national commitment powered by institutions like the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA.
Leading this change is Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director General of NITDA, whose vision has not only shaped Nigeria’s digital transformation but also made sure that women are not left behind. Under his watch, NITDA has stepped forward as more than a regulator.
It has become a driving force for gender inclusion in ICT — breaking old barriers and rewriting tired narratives. This commitment was once again clear at InnovateHer ’25 — the 10th National Conference and 11th Annual Meeting of the Nigerian Women in Information Technology.
Hosted in Abuja on June 20, 2025, the event went beyond speeches and photo ops. It was a declaration. A message that the time for women in AI, data science, and digital leadership is not in the future. It is now.
Represented by Dr. Aristotle Onumo, Director of Stakeholder Management and Partnerships, NITDA participated in a fireside chat on the theme “Women in AI: Unlocking Resilience, Fostering Innovation and Leadership.” But NITDA’s presence went deeper than a panel seat.
It reinforced a long-standing commitment to building platforms where women in tech are not just included, but equipped, elevated, and empowered. For years, the agency has designed and executed digital empowerment programmes tailored for women and girls across the country.
These efforts are rooted in the understanding that the gender gap in tech is not only about access, but also about how systems are designed — and who gets to shape them. From bootcamps that train women in fields like artificial intelligence and cloud computing, to scholarships and tech internships facilitated through global partnerships, NITDA has built real pathways for women to enter and lead in the tech space.
Through programmes like the iHatch Innovation Incubation Initiative, young women receive mentorship, startup support, and access to accelerator networks that were once out of reach. Even beyond urban centres, NITDA is working to close the divide.
In rural areas, women and girls are gaining digital literacy, learning the tools of the digital economy, and building skills that can lift entire communities. But what truly sets Kashifu Inuwa apart as a public leader is not just his technical vision, but his consistent recognition of women’s contributions to national development.
Whether in internal agency briefings or national forums, he makes space to highlight the exceptional women around him — not as tokens, but as forces. Senior directors, startup founders, young innovators emerging through NITDA’s ecosystem — all find in him not just a champion, but a believer.
Colleagues describe his leadership as one that creates space, promotes merit, and fosters respect. And that culture is beginning to ripple out across the wider Nigerian tech ecosystem. Globally, women still make up less than a third of the tech workforce.
Even fewer occupy leadership or core technical roles in fields like artificial intelligence. In Africa, the gap is even wider. But in Nigeria, there is a shift taking place. It is quiet, intentional, and built on collaboration. Through its work with platforms like NWIIT, and its direct investments in women-focused initiatives, NITDA is helping to shape a future where gender no longer limits what is possible.
It is a future where a 16-year-old girl in Sokoto or Owerri can dream of becoming an AI expert — and actually find the tools, the support, and the confidence to get there. It is a future where innovation is not defined by gender, and opportunity is not dictated by tradition.
It is a future where resilience, leadership, and creativity are nurtured — whether they come in a suit or a wrapper, from a boardroom in Abuja or a classroom in Makurdi. Bridging the gender gap in tech is not a feel-good slogan. It is deep work. It takes investment, empathy, reformed systems, and the will to build platforms that allow women not just to participate, but to lead, to innovate, and to transform.
As Nigeria builds its digital future, the legacy of institutions like NITDA, and leaders like Kashifu Inuwa, will be remembered for more than infrastructure. They will be remembered for the lives they touched, the access they opened, and the space they made for women to rise. In a world increasingly powered by technology, ensuring that women are not left behind is not just inclusion.
It is justice.
Fatimah Yusuf Usman writes from PRNigeria Centre, Abuja. She can be reached via [email protected].
