CITAD Backs NCC’s Women Leadership Initiative, Demands Wider Gender Reforms in Nigeria’s ICT Sector
By Chimezie Godfrey
The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has welcomed the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) initiative aimed at promoting women’s leadership in Nigeria’s telecommunications industry, describing it as a significant step towards addressing gender imbalance in the country’s digital governance landscape.
In a statement signed by Fatima Babakura, Gender Coordinator of CITAD, the organisation said the initiative aligns with years of advocacy for greater female representation in digital policy formulation and leadership.
According to Babakura, CITAD had, in 2023, implemented the Incubating Young Female Digital Policy Leaders for Engendering Digital Policy Making in Nigeria Project, designed to address the persistent underrepresentation of women in Nigeria’s ICT policy ecosystem.
She explained that the project equipped young women with skills in digital policy analysis, internet governance, telecommunications policy, digital rights, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data governance and digital inclusion to prepare them for leadership roles in the sector.
The organisation also recalled that it conducted an empirical study titled A Head Count on Women Participation in Digital Policy Making in ICT Related Agencies in Nigeria, which revealed that women occupied only a small percentage of leadership positions across ICT agencies responsible for driving Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda.
According to the statement, the study showed that gender inequality extends beyond access to digital technologies, affecting women’s participation in institutions where digital policies are formulated and implemented.
CITAD noted that it subsequently developed a policy brief recommending increased female representation on ICT agency boards and management, institutional gender policies, leadership development programmes, gender audits, gender-responsive workplace policies and stronger accountability mechanisms.
The organisation said NCC’s latest initiative is consistent with Nigeria’s National Gender Policy, the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy, as well as the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal Five on gender equality.
While commending the Commission, CITAD stressed that leadership programmes alone would not eliminate structural barriers limiting women’s participation in decision-making positions.
It therefore urged the NCC to institutionalise gender inclusion through recruitment processes, governance structures and leadership development frameworks.
The organisation also called 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 reforms.
According to Babakura, women should not merely benefit from digital technologies but should actively participate in shaping the policies that govern Nigeria’s digital future.
She added that policymakers, regulators, development partners and private sector organisations should adopt measurable targets for women’s participation in digital governance while ensuring transparency, regular monitoring and institutional accountability.
Babakura reaffirmed CITAD’s commitment to collaborating with government institutions, civil society organisations, academia and development partners to promote evidence-based, gender-responsive digital governance across Nigeria.
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