The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) welcomes the recent initiative by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to promote women’s leadership within Nigeria’s telecommunications sector.
The initiative represents an important step towards addressing gender disparities in digital leadership and decision-making institutions and contributes to ongoing efforts to build a more inclusive digital ecosystem in Nigeria.
A statement by Fatima Babakura, CITAD Gender Coordinator on Wednesday, said that the development is particularly encouraging because it reinforces an issue we have consistently championed over the years.
Babakura stated that CITAD had in Babakura implemented the Incubating Young Female Digital Policy Leaders for Engendering Digital Policy Making in Nigeria project.
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She said that the project was conceived in response to the underrepresentation of women in digital policy formulation and leadership structures across Nigeria’s ICT ecosystem.
The statement reads, “As part of the project, CITAD trained a cohort of young women to strengthen their capacity in digital policy analysis, advocacy, internet governance, telecommunications policy, digital rights, cybersecurity, data governance, artificial intelligence, and digital inclusion. The objective was to build a pipeline of young women capable of participating meaningfully in digital policy processes and contributing to Nigeria’s digital future.
Beyond capacity development, the project produced one of the few empirical studies examining women’s representation in Nigeria’s ICT governance institutions. Our research, A Head Count on Women Participation in Digital Policy Making in ICT Related Agencies in Nigeria, documented the low representation of women across boards and management structures of key ICT agencies. The findings showed that women occupied only a small proportion of leadership positions in institutions responsible for shaping Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda, falling short of the aspirations contained in Nigeria’s National Gender Policy.
“The study further demonstrated that the gender digital divide extends beyond unequal access to digital technologies. It is also reflected in unequal access to spaces where digital policies are conceived, negotiated, and implemented. Consequently, policies developed without adequate representation of women risk overlooking perspectives and experiences that are essential for inclusive and effective digital development.
“To address these structural challenges, CITAD developed the policy brief, Promoting Women Participation in Digital Policy-Making in Nigeria, which outlined practical recommendations aimed at strengthening women’s participation in digital governance. Among the recommendations were the development of a national gender digital inclusion agenda, increased representation of women at board and management levels of ICT institutions, leadership development programmes for women in digital policy and governance, institutional gender policies, regular gender audits, gender-responsive workplace policies, and stronger accountability mechanisms to monitor progress.
“The NCC’s initiative is therefore a welcome development and aligns with Nigeria’s commitments under the National Gender Policy, the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy, and international frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 5 on gender equality. Increasing women’s participation in leadership within the telecommunications and digital sectors is not only a matter of fairness but also an important requirement for achieving inclusive and sustainable digital development.
“However, CITAD believes that leadership development programmes should not be viewed as standalone interventions. Sustainable progress requires institutional reforms that deliberately remove barriers limiting women’s advancement into decision-making positions. Building individual capacity must go hand in hand with creating enabling systems that allow qualified women to occupy leadership roles and influence policy outcomes.”
CITAD further noted that gender-responsive digital policy making is essential for ensuring that Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda benefits all segments of society.
According to the center, Research and experience have shown that diverse leadership structures contribute to more inclusive and responsive policies.
The centre added that women’s perspectives are critical in shaping decisions on digital access, online safety, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data governance, digital rights, and emerging technologies.
The statement added, “We therefore encourage the NCC to build on this initiative by embedding gender inclusion within its institutional policies, leadership development frameworks, recruitment processes, and governance structures. We equally call on other ICT institutions, including the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), Galaxy Backbone, Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), and the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, to adopt similar initiatives while implementing broader reforms that promote equitable representation.
“As Nigeria accelerates its digital transformation agenda, the need for gender-responsive digital policy making has become increasingly important. Women must not only be beneficiaries of digital technologies but also active participants in designing the policies, regulations, and governance frameworks that shape the country’s digital future. Greater representation of women in leadership and decision-making positions will help ensure that digital policies respond more effectively to the realities and aspirations of all Nigerians.
“CITAD therefore urges policymakers, regulators, development partners, and private sector actors to move beyond commitments and adopt measurable targets for women’s participation in digital governance. Such efforts should be accompanied by regular monitoring, transparent reporting, and institutional accountability mechanisms to ensure sustained progress.
“CITAD remains committed to working collaboratively with government institutions, regulators, civil society organisations, academia, development partners, and the private sector to promote evidence-based, gender-responsive digital governance that leaves no one behind.”
