NITDA Launches IgniteHer Bootcamp to Boost Women’s Digital Skills
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has unveiled the second cohort of its IgniteHer Bootcamp for Women Entrepreneurs, in a bid to accelerate gender inclusion and economic empowerment through digital innovation, in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Themed “Empowering Women Entrepreneurs for Growth and Innovation”, the programme, organised in partnership with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), brings together selected women entrepreneurs from across Nigeria for intensive training in digital skills, innovation management, business development and investor readiness.
Participants are attending both physically and virtually.
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Declaring the bootcamp open, NITDA Director General, Kashifu Inuwa, represented by the Acting Director, Digital Literacy and Capacity Building Department, Dr. Ahmed Tambuwal, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to aligning Nigeria’s digital transformation with national priorities of sustained inclusive growth, economic diversification, and industrialisation.
“Through IgniteHer, we are actualising President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda by expanding women’s access to technology and economic opportunity,” he stated.
Inuwa explained that the initiative is anchored in NITDA’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP 2.0: 2024–2027), which emphasises inclusive innovation as a driver of poverty eradication, youth empowerment and sustainable growth.
According to him, IgniteHer is also a flagship project under the National Gender Digital Inclusion Strategy (NGDIS), with a target to empower 12.7 million Nigerian women with digital literacy skills by 2027.
He cited a World Wide Web Foundation report which projects that closing the digital gender gap in Nigeria could unlock an estimated $13 billion in GDP growth over the next decade.
“This training is a step towards harnessing this economic potential and ensuring that women play an integral role in shaping the digital landscape of Nigeria,” he noted, urging participants — selected from more than 12,000 applicants — to seize the opportunity to influence the future of Nigerian entrepreneurship.
Inuwa commended the Government of Japan and JICA for their ongoing partnership through initiatives like IgniteHer and the iHatch Incubation Programme, which provides mentorship and innovation support to early-stage entrepreneurs.
“At NITDA, we believe that inclusive innovation is not just an ideal but a critical strategy that ensures a stronger economy, smarter solutions and more resilient communities,” he said.
The Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Matsunaga Kazuyoshi, reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to promoting innovation and gender inclusion, revealing that Japan, through JICA, is currently supporting two grant projects worth $30.9 million to improve Nigeria’s startup ecosystem, strengthen the investment climate and build an inclusive innovation hub.
He also referenced the upcoming Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9), themed “Co-create Innovative Solutions with Africa”, as a platform for deepening Africa–Japan cooperation in digital transformation.
Lead facilitator of the programme, Hajiya Hafsat Salabi-Dange, described IgniteHer as a catalyst for social and economic change, praising NITDA’s vision in bridging the digital gender divide and fostering economic independence.
She urged participants to be intentional and bold, stressing that the knowledge acquired would serve not only as a business tool but also as an instrument for community development, national growth and generational impact.
