The First Lady of Nigeria, Oluremi Tinubu has urged women across the nation to embrace small beginnings not only in their businesses but also in digital empowerment.
Mrs Tinubu was speaking at the closing ceremony of the 2025 Renewed Hope Initiative/National Information Technology Development Agency Women ICT Training Empowerment Programme.
She encouraged participants to overcome fear and hesitation by starting modestly but with determination.
“Don’t be afraid to start small. When you do it small and do it very well, somebody will take note,” Mrs Tinubu said.
She recounted the early days of the Alternative High School for Girls, which she birthed in Lagos State while she was the State’s First Lady, describing it as once a new and uncertain idea but now having over 40 thriving similar schools across the nation.
The First Lady pointed out that this is an inspiration for women to patiently build their digital skills and careers without fear of initial limitations.
Greater Heights
Mrs Tinubu urged the women present to see their training as a stepping stone to greater heights. She also praised the programme’s remarkable progress, from training 35 women initially to now reaching 607 women across Nigerian states.
“You all stand today as Ambassadors of digital literacy. Apply the skills you have learned. Pursue continuous growth in the digital space,” Mrs Tinubu advised.
The Director-General of NITDA, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa, emphasized the transformational power of empowering women in Nigeria through technological innovation and digital literacy.
Inuwa highlighted the concerted efforts by the Nigerian government to uplift women with the necessary digital tools and skills for economic empowerment.
He explained that the government’s digital empowerment agenda is rooted in a clear vision of President Bola Tinubu.
Inuwa said; “As a nation, we cannot achieve a one trillion U.S. Dollar economy if half of our population is left to die. Therefore, at NITDA, we have a clear vision to make Nigeria an empowered nation fostering inclusive economic growth through technological innovation. When our communities are empowered, we thrive.”
“In the 21st century, the illiterate are those who cannot use digital devices. Therefore, we want to empower every Nigerian to develop digital fluency, not just to access the digital economy but to be an active part of it,” he added.
The 320 participants for the 2025 edition of the training, who were drawn from the six geopolitical zones of the country, were then presented with brand new laptops and seed money of ₦200,000.00 each, to enable them to earn a living.