By Rukayyat Sadauki
The Renewed Hope Initiative, in partnership with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), held the closing ceremony of the Women ICT Training Empowerment Programme at the Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja, north central, Nigeria. The event was hosted by the First Lady and National Chairman of the Initiative, Her Excellency Senator Oluremi Tinubu, CON.
The First Lady congratulated the 2025 cohort and encouraged them not to fear starting small, noting that “one day, somebody will notice your efforts.” She announced that similar ICT training would soon be extended to wives of executives and encouraged participants from all zones to use their skills to build a digital future, pursue continuous growth, and embrace opportunities in the digital space. She also commended the NITDA DG and his team for expanding opportunities for women nnationwide.
Earlier in his welcome address, the NITDA Director-General, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, praised the First Lady’s support and noted that the programme reflected President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly in economic diversification, scaling human capital development, andenhancing digital inclusivity.
Mallam Abdullahi reaffirmed NITDA’s commitment to building a digitally empowered nation, explaining that technology thrived on skilled people which had necessitated the development of the National Digital Literacy Framework aimed at achieving 95 per cent digital literacy by 2030, with a mid-term target of 70 per cent by 2027.
Participants completed three weeks of intensive training covering device and software use, content creation, digital marketing, online safety, and basic problem-solving. Highlighting the programme’s growth, the NITDA DG stated that 35 women were trained in 2023, 252 in 2024, and 320 in 2025, totaling over 600 women. He added that under the current administration, NITDA had trained more than 1,000,143 Nigerians, including 32,000 civil servants in digital literacy and skills.
He urged beneficiaries to return to their communities, apply their new skills, and mentor at least two to three other women.
The event closed with appreciation from participants, who are now better equipped to thrive in Nigeria’s evolving digital economy.
