CITAD Applauds NCC’s Women Leadership Initiative, Calls for Broader ICT Gender Reforms

The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has commended the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for its recent initiative to promote women’s leadership in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector, describing the move as a significant step towards closing the gender gap in digital governance and decision-making.

In a statement signed by its Gender Coordinator, Fatima Babakura, CITAD said the initiative aligns with long-standing efforts to improve women’s representation in the country’s digital policy ecosystem and strengthen inclusive governance.

According to the organisation, the NCC’s intervention reinforces the need to ensure that women are not only beneficiaries of digital technologies but also active contributors to the policies and institutions shaping Nigeria’s digital future.

CITAD recalled that in 2023 it implemented the Incubating Young Female Digital Policy Leaders for Engendering Digital Policy Making in Nigeria project to address the persistent underrepresentation of women in digital policy and ICT leadership.

The project equipped young women with skills in digital policy analysis, internet governance, telecommunications policy, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data governance, digital rights, advocacy, and digital inclusion, with the aim of building a new generation of female digital policy leaders.

As part of the initiative, CITAD also conducted one of the few empirical studies on women’s participation in Nigeria’s ICT governance institutions. The study, titled A Head Count on Women Participation in Digital Policy Making in ICT Related Agencies in Nigeria, found that women remain significantly underrepresented on the boards and management teams of key ICT agencies responsible for driving Nigeria’s digital transformation.

The organisation noted that the findings revealed that the gender digital divide extends beyond access to technology and includes limited participation in policy formulation and decision-making processes. It warned that policies developed without adequate female representation risk overlooking perspectives essential for inclusive and sustainable digital development.

To address these challenges, CITAD developed a policy brief titled Promoting Women Participation in Digital Policy-Making in Nigeria, recommending increased female representation in ICT leadership, institutional gender policies, leadership development programmes, gender-responsive workplace policies, regular gender audits, and stronger accountability mechanisms.

While welcoming the NCC’s initiative, CITAD stressed that leadership development programmes alone would not be sufficient to achieve lasting change.

“The NCC’s initiative is a welcome development and aligns with Nigeria’s National Gender Policy, the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy, as well as the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 5 on gender equality,” the statement said.

It, however, added that sustainable progress requires institutional reforms that remove barriers preventing qualified women from advancing into leadership and decision-making positions.

The organisation also emphasised that gender-responsive digital policymaking is critical to ensuring Nigeria’s digital transformation benefits all citizens. It noted that diverse leadership contributes to more inclusive policies on issues such as digital access, online safety, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data governance, and digital rights.

CITAD urged the NCC to strengthen the initiative by integrating gender inclusion into its recruitment processes, governance structures, institutional policies, and leadership development frameworks.

The organisation further called on other ICT agencies, including the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), Galaxy Backbone, the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), and the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, to implement similar initiatives and broader reforms that promote equitable representation.

According to CITAD, as Nigeria accelerates its digital transformation agenda, women must play a greater role in shaping the policies, regulations, and governance frameworks that will define the country’s digital future.

The organisation also urged policymakers, regulators, development partners, and private sector stakeholders to move beyond commitments by adopting measurable targets for women’s participation in digital governance, supported by regular monitoring, transparent reporting, and institutional accountability.

CITAD reaffirmed its commitment to collaborating with government institutions, civil society, academia, development partners, and the private sector to advance evidence-based and gender-responsive digital governance in Nigeria.