‎Bridging Gender Digital Divide Could Add $13bn to Nigeria’s GDP – NITDA DG
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‎The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCE, has said that closing the gender gap in Nigeria’s digital ecosystem could boost the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by over $13 billion in the next decade.
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‎Inuwa made this known while delivering a goodwill message at the Women’s Breakfast Meeting held during the Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibition (DNICE 2025) in Abuja.
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‎The event, themed “Building Strategic Partnerships for the Funding and Advancement of Women in Technology,” brought together women innovators, policymakers, and industry leaders to explore ways of increasing female participation in Nigeria’s digital economy.
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‎According to the NITDA boss, empowering women to create, innovate, and lead within the digital space would have a transformative impact on national development. He described the meeting as a defining moment in advancing gender inclusion within Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda.
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‎“When women thrive in the digital economy, the entire nation prospers,” Inuwa stated. “Bridging the gender digital divide could add over $13 billion to Nigeria’s GDP in the coming decade.”
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‎He observed that despite women’s strong performance in entrepreneurship and repayment records, they continue to face limited access to funding and investment opportunities.
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‎Citing data from Briter Bridges, he disclosed that only 1.5% of startup funding in Africa in the first half of 2025 went to companies with female CEOs, while 9% went to startups with at least one female founder.
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‎Inuwa called for stronger partnerships among government, private investors, and development partners to unlock capital, mentorship, and opportunities for women-led startups.
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‎He highlighted several NITDA-led initiatives aimed at addressing gender disparities in technology, including the IgniteHer Bootcamp in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Female Founders Training (FFT), the Renewed Hope Initiative in partnership with the Office of the First Lady, and the Gina Mata, Gina Al-Umma initiative with the World Bank.
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‎“These programmes have empowered hundreds of women with digital and entrepreneurial skills, giving them the confidence and capacity to scale their innovations,” he said. “But true transformation requires ecosystems that sustain and fund women’s ideas.”
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‎The NITDA DG reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to implementing the National Gender Digital Inclusion Strategy (NGDIS), aimed at ensuring women and girls have equal access to digital tools, resources, and opportunities.
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‎He encouraged stakeholders to see the meeting not just as a dialogue but as a call to action.
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‎“This is a commitment to fund, mentor, and amplify women in technology,” he added. “Let this gathering set the tone for stronger partnerships, greater accountability, and measurable progress toward a digitally inclusive Nigeria.”
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