NCC Launches Women in Leadership Programme to Boost Female Leadership in Nigeria’s Tech Sector

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has launched a Women in Leadership Programme aimed at strengthening female leadership across Nigeria’s telecommunications and digital sectors.

The initiative is designed to create a sustainable pipeline of women leaders by providing mentorship, networking opportunities and leadership development for female professionals within the commission and the broader technology ecosystem.

The programme was unveiled on Thursday in Abuja by the Executive Commissioner for Stakeholders Management, Rimini Makama.

Building the Next Generation of Female Leaders

Speaking at the launch, Makama said the programme was created to mentor women, prepare them for greater professional responsibilities and establish a structured leadership community within Nigeria’s telecommunications regulatory environment.

She explained that the initiative would help build professional networks among women at the NCC and across the industry while serving as a long-term platform for leadership development.

“Although several leadership initiatives for women exist, this is our first deliberate effort to create a structured community,” she said.

“We want to build a mentorship network for female professionals within the regulatory environment.”

According to Makama, the programme is intended to become a permanent component of the NCC’s capacity-building initiatives rather than a short-term project tied to the current administration.

“We want to institutionalise it so that when I leave the NCC, it will be adopted. It is not going to die with me; it is here to stay,” she added.

Progress on Gender Inclusion

Makama noted that the commission has already made significant progress in promoting gender inclusion, with women currently occupying about 70 per cent of director-level positions within the organisation.

She said the strong representation of women in leadership provides an opportunity for experienced professionals to mentor and transfer knowledge to younger female employees.

“We want to harness that energy and wisdom and channel it into developing women working in regulation,” she said.

“We must continue to build and scale female leadership across the industry.”

Inspiring Career Growth

Also speaking at the event, NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Dr. Aminu Maida, described the programme as an important platform for sharing experiences, inspiring career growth and preparing the next generation of female leaders in the sector.

He said the initiative would encourage more women to aspire to leadership positions while leveraging the expertise of accomplished female professionals already serving within the commission.

“I see a lot of promise in the next generation of women in the commission,” Maida said.

The Women in Leadership Programme forms part of the NCC’s broader efforts to promote diversity, strengthen leadership capacity and support sustainable talent development within Nigeria’s telecommunications and digital economy.