By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
The Regional ICT Feminist
Network (RIFEN) has officially launched its Nigeria Chapter, creating a
platform to support women’s participation and leadership in the country’s
digital transformation agenda.
The launch brought together
key figures from Africa’s ICT community, including African Telecommunications
Union (ATU) Secretary-General John Omo, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications,
Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, and RIFEN Founder and Chair
of the International Telecommunication Union’s Telecommunication Development
Advisory Group, Regina Fleur A. Bessou.
The new chapter is expected
to provide Nigerian women in technology with a platform to organise their
expertise, collaborate, build capacity and strengthen their participation in
national, continental and global digital policy discussions.
Speaking at the event,
Minister Tijani expressed support for the initiative and announced that he
would personally sponsor 50 Nigerian women to join RIFEN, reinforcing the
government’s commitment to increasing women’s participation in the technology
ecosystem.
The launch builds on the
partnership between ATU and RIFEN established through a Memorandum of
Understanding signed in 2023, which aims to expand opportunities for women not
only as users of technology but also as leaders shaping digital policies and
innovation.
ATU said the establishment
of the Nigeria Chapter represents another step towards creating more inclusive
digital ecosystems where women can contribute meaningfully to Africa’s
technology development and decision-making processes.
