By Angeline Mgbele, Bureau Chief, Northern Nigeria
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has partnered with the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) in a strategic move aimed at advancing women’s digital inclusion and drive the nation’s transformation agenda.
The Director of Corporate Communications & Media Relations at NITDA, Hajia Hadiza Umar, in a press statement yesterday, said the partnership was cemented during a courtesy visit to NITDA Director- General, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, by a NAWOJ delegation led by National President Comrade Aishatu Ibrahim, who introduced the agency to the forthcoming Women in Security (WINSEC) Summit & Awards 2026.
Mallam Abdullahi, represented by the Director of the Stakeholders Management and Partnerships Department, Dr. Aristotle Onumo assured the association that NITDA would not only participate in the conference, but also support the success of the conference.
Abdullahi hailed the NAWOJ for creating a platform for peacebuilding, dialogue on security and women’s inclusion, which he described as one of the critical areas NITDA was focused on to ensure that more women obtained digital literacy and skills under the National Gender Inclusive Strategy.
Beyond NITDA’s plan to participate in the conference, the NITDA DG noted that a robust partnership between the organisations would engender meaningful opportunities and initiatives through which many more women could access digital literacy.
“Inclusivity is the key to everything we do at NITDA. We clearly defined that 40 per cent of our programmes must recognise the issue of gender. We ensure that women are adequately represented and positioned to benefit greatly from the programmes that we organise in the agency.
“We graciously accept to participate actively in that conference. Apart from acquiring skills among journalists themselves, partnership with NAWOJ will also serve as a platform through which we can also reach out to various women’s groups across the federation,” Abdullahi said.
Earlier, Comrade Ibrahim commended the NITDA DG for his visionary and transformational leadership which had continued to position NITDA as the catalyst for Nigeria’s digital economy through its various programmes.
She explained that the Women in Security (WINSEC) Summit and Awards 2026 was an initiative of NAWOJ designed to promote collaboration among government institutions, security agencies, technology experts, the media, and other stakeholders to address contemporary security challenges.
According to Comrade Ibrahim, the association also aimed to recognise outstanding individuals and institutions that had demonstrated excellence in security, governance, and innovation while fostering meaningful dialogue on the role of technology in building a safer and more resilient Nigeria.
“We deeply appreciate your exemplary leadership, passion for innovation, and unwavering commitment to building a digitally empowered Nigeria. We respectfully invite the agency to partner with NAWOJ in making this landmark initiative a success.
“We look forward to establishing a long-term partnership with NITDA that will empower women journalists with cutting-edge digital skills, support digital inclusion and contribute to innovation, digital literacy, and human capital development,” the NAWOJ president added.
Both organisations expressed optimism that the meeting would lay a solid foundation for a rewarding partnership agreement with specific and clearly defined objectives that will support digital inclusion and contribute to innovation, digital literacy, and human capital development.
