Kashifu Inuwa, the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), reiterated the agency’s staunch dedication to fostering collaboration and empowering women to narrow the digital gender gap in Nigeria. In a meeting with a delegation from TECHWOMEN, led by Ms. Binta Mustapha, at the Agency’s Corporate Headquarters in Abuja, Inuwa emphasized this commitment.
Highlighting the pivotal role of promoting digital inclusion among women from various backgrounds in national development, Inuwa underscored that empowering women resonates with NITDA’s core pillar of “Fostering Digital Literacy and Cultivating Talent” as outlined in the Agency’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan 2.0.
Acknowledging the growing global demand for a workforce adept in both basic digital literacy and advanced technological skills, the NITDA Boss disclosed ongoing efforts to formulate a National Digital Gender Inclusion Strategy aimed at addressing the historical predominance of men in previously launched initiatives. He stressed the necessity for a minimum of 40% women representation across all NITDA initiatives to establish an enabling environment for women to excel in the technology sector.
Furthermore, Inuwa shared NITDA’s commitment to supporting women, citing collaborative endeavors with the World Bank to provide digital literacy training for women. He also highlighted initiatives such as the 3 Million Technical Talent program, underscoring the significance of women’s participation and the agency’s partnerships with global tech giants like Google, Microsoft, Coursera, and others to nurture talent and enhance access to digital job opportunities.
“The idea is to build talent and get access to jobs. We are working with different partners both local and international on how this can be propagated and even incorporate it in our mentor curriculum,” he stated.
The Director General underscored the overarching objective of these initiatives: nurturing talent and facilitating job access. He unveiled ongoing partnerships with both local and international organizations to advance these endeavors and incorporate them into mentorship programs.
In her earlier remarks, Ms. Binta Mustapha articulated that their organization mentors women across diverse fields, equipping them with the knowledge and insights necessary to make meaningful contributions to the nation’s growth.
“The opportunities given to women has aid in bridging the gender gap, providing them with the platform to showcase their talents and innovative ideas towards solution findings bringing about ideas and knowledge sharing.
“More women participation is needed in the tech world so as to contribute their own quota to the growth of the nation through job creations and attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI),” she further stated.
