The Southeast chapter of the NITDA-Renewed Hope Initiative Women ICT Training and Empowerment Programme kicked off in Owerri yesterday, with the mission to foster gender equality and harness the full potential of women in Nigeria.
The programme was chaired by the first lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, represented by the first lady of Imo state, Mrs Chioma Uzodimma. The programme plans to empower 320 women in Nigeria, 40 from each geopolitical zone, 40 from the FCT, and 40 representing other stakeholders.
Addressing attendees of the event, Tinubu urged all women partaking in the programme to seize the opportunity with great zeal and dedication, saying that their success in the programme will mark a significant milestone for women all over Nigeria.
” I commend Her Excellency, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, for transforming lives through the Renewed Hope Initiative and the National Information Technology Development Agency @NITDANigeria for creating a more inclusive and equitable digital landscape in Nigeria through the Women ICT Training and Empowerment Programme, which empowers women with digital skills, bridges the gender gap in technology, and promotes entrepreneurial knowledge,” Uzodimma said.
The Women ICT Training and Empowerment Programme, championed by Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, through her Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) in partnership with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), is a transformative drive for gender-inclusive digital transformation.
The program hopes to equip women with essential ICT skills ranging from basic digital literacy to advanced coding and entrepreneurship to bridge the digital gender gap and foster economic independence in alignment with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The initiative has trained thousands across regions, graduating cohorts like the inaugural 35 women in Abuja and flagging off South-South sessions. It includes commissioning 10 state-of-the-art Digital Learning Centres in states like Abia, Delta, Kwara, and Zamfara, outfitted with computers and resources for sustained access.
NITDA’s Director-General, Kashifu Abdullahi, praised the collaboration for crafting a national digital gender inclusion strategy, while Minister Bosun Tijani is committed to scaling it nationwide.
