NITDA Champions Women’s Rise in AI as Nigeria Prepares to Lead Africa’s Digital Future

The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, in a group photograph with participants of the Nigerian Women in Information Technology 10th National Conference and 11th Annual General Meeting held in Abuja.

NITDA Champions Women’s Rise in AI as Nigeria Prepares to Lead Africa’s Digital Future

By Gloria Sarauniya Usman,

ABUJA, NIGERIA June, 2025-

In a landmark push to reshape Nigeria’s digital future with women at the helm, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has unveiled a multi-pronged strategy to accelerate gender inclusion in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the broader digital economy.

Speaking at the “Innovate Her ’25” Conference—the 10th National Conference and 11th Annual Meeting of Nigerian Women in Information Technology (NIWIT)—Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, Director-General of NITDA, underscored the agency’s unwavering commitment to ensuring that women are not left behind in Nigeria’s AI revolution.

Themed “Women in AI: Unlocking Resilience, Fostering Innovation and Leadership,” the event brought together female tech leaders, policy stakeholders, and innovators from across the country. Inuwa, represented by Dr. Aristotle Onumo, Director of Stakeholder Management and Partnerships, emphasized that "true innovation blossoms through collaboration, not isolation."

NITDA is executing a bold gender inclusion strategy embedded in Nigeria’s National Artificial Intelligence Policy. At least 40% of NITDA’s programmes are now tailored to benefit women and underserved populations.

Key initiatives include:

• Women-focused capacity building in AI, cloud computing, and cybersecurity.

• A national Digital Literacy for All initiative targeting 70% digital literacy by 2027.

• Partnerships with NYSC and schools to train over 30 million Nigerians.

• The development of ethical and inclusive AI systems using indigenous datasets.

Inuwa announced that Nigeria will host a Pan-African Leadership Summit on AI in September 2025, positioning the country as a continental thought leader in ethical AI deployment and inclusive innovation.

Led by NITDA, the movement engages a wide array of partners—from NIWIT and the Renew Hope Initiative, to schools, NYSC, and grassroots women’s networks. NITDA also actively welcomes proposals and partnerships from women-focused organisations, offering to formalise collaborations through Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs).

The announcements were made in Abuja, during the Innovate Her ’25 Conference, held in June 2025, as Nigeria gears up for a critical summit in September that will attract African AI stakeholders to co-create a unified strategy.

With global conversations around AI ethics, gender gaps, and digital access, NITDA’s work is being seen as a blueprint for Africa’s inclusive tech future. Inuwa noted that empowering women with relevant skills isn't just a social imperative, but an economic and national security one.

“We are not just training for numbers, but for impact,” he said. “Our goal is measurable outcomes that transform lives—especially for those at the margins.”

The approach also addresses a growing global concern: bias in AI systems. NITDA is investing in local data models and indigenous datasets to ensure AI tools represent Nigeria’s linguistic, cultural, and demographic realities.

By adopting a targeted, partnership-driven model, NITDA is implementing programs that:

Provide mentorship and leadership training for women.

Embed digital skills into national education curricula.

Build homegrown AI models that uphold Nigerians' digital rights.

Connect female innovators to policy and funding channels.

Dr. Inuwa concluded with a rallying call: “Nigeria’s digital future is inclusive. Women are not spectators—they are leaders, architects, and co-creators of the future we all deserve.”

As the global tech landscape evolves, NITDA is positioning Nigeria to not just participate—but lead, with women shaping the agenda.