General News
Women Need Incentives to Go Into ICT -Dr. Hassan
Dr. (Mrs.) Omowunmi Hassan, currently lead consultant and managing director of HOJOB Consults Ltd – ICT training and Policy Analysis consultancy firm in Nigeria, is also the chief executive and presiding officer of High Tech Centre for Nigerian Women and Youth – an NGO established to empower and build the capacity of women and youths in ICT across Nigeria.
An IT professional per excellence, she has worked at various IT positions in reputable Organizations.
Hassan, with a lot of publications in several journals to her credit, spoke to peter ugwu on issues regarding women and youths in IT-Nigeria.
Setting Up of High Tech Centre
The gap in ICT and the digital divide among the gender changing information and communications technologies (ICT) around the world brings, and the challenges these have brought to developing countries, information and knowledge sharing or dissemination has become a more pressing problem for the women-folk and younger ones in Africa, especially in the West African region.
Hence, the beginning of our initiative to bridge the digital gap between men and women literacy in ICT taking cue from the Ghanaian High Tech Women in the early 2000.
I was challenged in March 2004 during the International ICT Conference in Ghana on capacity building interventions for women and girls’ involvement in ICT, the Nigerian High Tech Women was therefore born in May 2004 at Ile-Ife, Osun State.
The Set Objectives
The primary vision as at the beginning of our creation was to reach out to women and girls in Nigeria through awareness / literacy campaign, workshops, summits on ICTs and computer usage while providing information on ICT access opportunities in different places like market, hospitals, Local government areas, etc.
The organization however, metamorphosed into High Tech Centre for Nigerian Women and Youths in 2012, after a rigorous status and nomenclature changes necessitated by the feared digital divide between the gender (male and female) which established us and was then seen to be marginalizing the capacity building interventions against the ‘boy child’.
This births the incorporation of ‘youth initiatives’ to accommodate the empowerment of both sexes in ICTs among the younger and upcoming generation through our engagements and activities.
The various categories of women from the academia/professionals, public/civil servants, private sector, business / entrepreneurs, women in rural communities and girls in schools was identified as targets of our intervention, thus the justification for the strategic goals and aspirations of the organization.
With a focused vision and mission statement, the initiative to catch – them young started the outreach of the NGO to schools by establishing ICT Clubs in Schools as well as creating Clubs in Local Government Areas around Ile-Ife town in Osun State of Nigeria then.
The youth incorporation birthed the ICT Summer Academy Camp (ISAC) for Youths (male and females) from ages 15 while the school seminars is for primary and secondary school children was tagged Children ICT Summit (CIT).
Furthermore, we were able to strategically map out how to reach our targets by planning initiatives that address various categories of women and youths. Such includes, workshop for wives and women leaders at the States and Local Government Areas (LGAs) tagged Women Leaders Forum (WLF).
Professionals and women in the public and private sector of the economy are gathered to a special summit tagged “Women ICT Summit” (WITS) yearly; the first edition was held in 2012 and has since been a national event. To support ICT and computing skills development of female students in tertiary institutions, the Ladies ICT Summit (LITS) was initiated to reach out to all ladies in tertiary institutions in the country.
With the global advocacy for innovation and industrial development of national economies and with the identification of ICT, and indeed science and technology as a driver of technological changes, we have deliberately upgraded our children and youth initiatives for all sexes including the ladies summit to a new dimension with emphasis on ‘Innovation’ and ‘development in a knowledge economy’.
Hence, our projects for the sect are tagged “e-innovate Nigeria – Stop Downloading… Start Uploading” to encourage the younger generation to think inventions, create products, services, indeed become innovative and entrepreneurial for self sustenance, wealth / job creation to be able to build a sustainable Nigerian economy that can meet up with the national goal of Vision 20:2020.
The High Tech Awards
The High Tech Awards for Women and Youths started in 2012 as part of the activities of the Women ICT Summits yearly.
It has since been an exciting and elating initiative that has created more awareness of ICT and its impacts as well as facilitated the involvement of prominent, entrepreneurs and visionary young Nigerians to our programmes as they partner to foster more impactful engagements with the NGO.
To conform with global initiatives and career development of women and girls in ICTs, the High tech Centre for Nigerian Women and Youths identified with the ITU international Day of Girls in ICT celebrated worldwide in April every year, and has since been hosting the “Girls in ICT” day since 2013 as a day to sensitize the society of the need to build ICT career in women and girls as well as the social inclusion of the women folks in ICT mainstream internationally.
Capturing Women’s Attention to Embrace Certain IT Programmes
Women attention is drawn to quite a lot of things and the truth is that to get women to do things requires a lot of incentives, advocacies, awareness and encouragements.
We need to create funds, time, opportunities / strategies for them to get involved by supporting them to pay for the trainings available in ICTs (you know most trainings nowadays is not free especially where there is no sponsorship from donor organizations), government must be willing to partner with NGOs who are able to reach out to the grassroots to implement any and all of their initiatives for women and girls.
This for me is a way of getting more women to know, understand and be willing to run with government’s programs.
As a matter of fact, government formulate policies, create programs but leave the projects to NGOs, Private institutions and other interest groups to implement so as to get better results and facilitate partnerships.
Economic Buoyancy as a Major Factor that Must be Tackled to Attract Their Attention
Yes, I agree not just thinking. I do know that most women (married) depend on their husbands support financially; while a lot more (unmarried and single mothers) are struggling or managing their meager resources.
Thus, funds to get ICTs, attend trainings, and have access to the internet are quite challenging. They need support as much as possible.
Strategies Adopted By High Tech so Far In Galvanizing Women Interest in IT
High Tech has over the years evolved from free trainings / seminars for women to getting States and Local Government Areas support through sponsorship of women to our programs and now, some Agencies of the Government like National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has been supportive in the areas of funding some of our projects for youths and girls but a lot is still needed to do more.
We charge fees (just a token) most times to be able to break even and get knowledge transfer to our target. You know we are not for profits organization. We need nation and international organizations to support these initiatives.
Women’s Interests in ComTech Ministry’s Roadmap for IT Development
The minister is trying so much with the roadmaps in place but the strategic need of the country is to have a well articulated ICT Policy with actionable frameworks, concise key performance indicators (KPIs) for monitoring procedures and a full back-up legislation and Acts for effective implementation.
This is imperative for her efforts for the industry to be measurable and more impactful. As regards women and girls in ICT initiatives, I think they are trying but the Ministry cannot do it alone.
They are facilitators, provider of enabling environment and motivator, so they should partner with more women NGOs with different capacities and capabilities to create more initiatives and achieve their already set goals so as to get things done at all levels.
The ministry should set the right directions through policies guidelines and facilitate networking for result based implementation of their policy strategies and programmes.
Cost of the Centre’s Programme to Educate and Equip a Person in IT
In terms of cost, it is relative based on various projects. The children’s e-Innovate events is free for pupils and students from primary / secondary schools but with the introduction of school ICT competitions, schools are required to pay a token of N15,000 (fifteen thousand naira) to participate.
The Youth Summits and Camp is on the average of N 25,000 (twenty five thousand naira), Women ICT Summit is about N50,000 (fifty thousand naira) on the average yearly because of the target group, (we actually save cost to support our children’s project yearly) and the international exchange programme costs is dependent on country to be visited.
We plead for financial support for any or all of these initiatives to enable more women and youths to benefit across States, Local governments, communities and indeed the entire country.
Girls in Decision Making Positions In IT Field
Sure, more than optimistic because we are getting there gradually, women, ladies and girls at all levels are able and we CAN!
Breathe Life Foundation partnered with Teach Nigeria Fellow, Ms Bunmi Rotimi, to deliver a respiratory health awareness session for over 200 senior students of Cleggs Girls High School, Surulere, Lagos.
The session equipped students aged 15–19 years with practical knowledge about the risks associated with smoking, vaping, and shisha, while challenging the misconception that shisha is a safer alternative to cigarettes or other substances.
Through an engaging and interactive discussion, students explored the influence of peer pressure and learned practical strategies for making healthier, more informed lifestyle choices.
They also gained a better understanding of common environmental triggers of asthma and other respiratory conditions, including cigarette smoke, generator fumes, bush burning, mosquito coil smoke, candles, charcoal, and firewood.
The session highlighted an important reality: young people may not always recognise how seemingly routine lifestyle choices and environmental exposures can gradually affect their respiratory health, quality of life, and long-term wellbeing.
For Breathe Life Foundation, this reinforces the importance of shifting the conversation from treatment to prevention through awareness and education. By equipping young people with the knowledge to identify risks and make healthier choices early, the Foundation is helping to build a generation that is more conscious of – and better prepared to protect – its respiratory health.
Breathe Life Foundation is dedicated to advancing respiratory health, an often-neglected public health priority. Healthy lungs are essential to life, yet respiratory diseases remain among the world’s leading causes of death and disability, even though many are preventable and treatable.
Nigeria’s technology retail landscape reached another significant milestone on Monday, August 3, 2026, as global technology giant ASUS, in partnership with Konga, officially commissioned its first flagship experience store in West Africa.
Strategically located at 16 Otigba Street, Computer Village, Ikeja, Lagos; the heartbeat of Nigeria’s technology ecosystem, the state-of-the-art facility represents a major investment in customer experience, product accessibility, and digital innovation.
The launch also reinforces Konga’s growing reputation as a preferred gateway for leading global technology brands into the Nigerian market.
The landmark event attracted Dr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, SAN, minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, who officially commissioned the store.
Also in attendance were the Chairman of Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh; Chief Operating Officer of Konga, Dave Omoregie; VP Omni-channel & Commercial Planning, Melvin Onochie; and Head of Marketing and Communications at Konga Group, Victor Oluwaleye.
The ASUS team was led by E.EMEA General Manager, Aaron Tsai, alongside Business Development Manager, Sunnie Chen; Sales Manager, Mohammed Kazim; Gaming Product Manager, Joy Chen; Marketing Manager, Adeola Odeleye; and Sales Specialist, Williams Okenna.
The Honourable Minister described the facility as a defining achievement for Nigeria’s digital economy, noting that it is far more than the opening of a retail outlet.
He called it a strong vote of confidence by a global technology brand in Nigeria’s innovation, science, and technology ecosystem and the immense potential of its market.
He noted that his presence underscored the Federal Government’s commitment to fostering stronger collaboration between the public and private sectors, describing such partnerships as essential to achieving Nigeria’s ambition of building a one-trillion-dollar economy driven by private enterprise and enabled by government.
The Minister paid tribute to Leo Stan Ekeh, describing him as one of the foremost architects of Nigeria’s digital transformation.
He announced that Ekeh had recently agreed to champion the Federal Government’s Youth and Students in Innovation initiative, a flagship programme aimed at equipping young Nigerians with entrepreneurial and technology skills.
According to him, Ekeh’s decades of visionary entrepreneurship have played a pivotal role in shaping the country’s technology ecosystem and attracting prominent technology companies into the Nigerian market.
Using the occasion to address the international business community, the Minister encouraged global investors and brands to look beyond establishing commercial operations in Nigeria and actively partner with the government in driving national development.
He assured investors of the Federal Government’s commitment to creating an enabling environment that safeguards investments and delivers sustainable returns.
Speaking at the event, ASUS E.EMEA General Manager, Aaron Tsai, expressed appreciation to partners, government representatives, and customers for their support.
He explained that the flagship store was conceived to provide consumers with direct access to authentic ASUS products, and expressed confidence that the partnership with Konga will further accelerate the brand’s growth and strengthen customer engagement in the region.
The experience centre features dedicated sections showcasing ASUS’ complete portfolio of premium laptops, gaming devices, AI-powered PCs, and cutting-edge innovations. A standout attraction is an interactive digital display that allows visitors to explore ASUS’ latest technologies virtually before making purchase decisions, creating a more engaging and informed customer journey. Plus, every ASUS device purchased through the flagship store or online on Konga comes with a special one-year replacement warranty at no extra cost.
In his remark, Chief Operating Officer of Konga Group, Dave Omoregie, said the flagship store reflects Konga’s deliberate strategy to give Nigerian consumers a seamless blend of online and offline retail.
He noted that Konga’s logistics network, payment infrastructure, and nationwide retail footprint uniquely position the company to support global brands like ASUS at scale, while ensuring customers enjoy authentic products backed by reliable after-sales service.
According to him, the partnership demonstrates what becomes possible when world-class technology brands trust Nigerian platforms to deliver exceptional experiences, adding that Konga remains committed to setting the operational standard for authentic technology retail across the country.
The launch further reinforces the enduring partnership between ASUS and Konga, built on shared values of innovation, authenticity, and customer satisfaction.
It also highlights Konga’s continued evolution beyond traditional e-commerce into a comprehensive omnichannel technology ecosystem that combines online convenience with physical retail experiences.
For Nigerian consumers and businesses, the new ASUS Flagship Experience Store represents more than a retail outlet; it is a symbol of confidence in Nigeria’s technology market. It highlights Konga’s commitment to bridging the gap between global technology brands and Nigerian consumers. With its robust logistics infrastructure, digital payment solutions, and nationwide physical retail presence, Konga continues to set the standard for authentic, accessible, and reliable technology retail across Africa.
The flagship store opening featured guided product demonstrations, immersive technology experiences, exclusive launch-day offers and customer engagement activities celebrating this historic milestone.
Customers can begin shopping immediately at the ASUS Flagship Experience Store, located at 16 Otigba Street, Computer Village, Ikeja, Lagos. Visitors can explore authentic ASUS products, experience live product demonstrations, receive expert guidance, and access dedicated Starlink customer-support services.
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Bola Tinubu to direct, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), attorney general of the federation and minister of Justice; Olatunji Rilwan Disu, inspector-general of Police, and relevant anti-corruption agencies to investigate allegations that more than ₦6.79 billion in public funds were missing, diverted or misapplied within the Nigeria Police Force and the Federal Ministry of Police Affairs.
The allegations are contained in the Auditor-General of the Federation’s 2022 Annual Report, published on September 9, 2025.
In a letter dated August 1, 2026, and signed by Kolawole Oluwadare, deputy director, SERAP, the organisation urged the government to ensure that anyone implicated in the report is prosecuted and that all missing public funds, firearms and ammunition are recovered.
“Anyone suspected to be responsible—including contractors, companies and public officials implicated in the report—should be promptly prosecuted, while all missing public funds, firearms and ammunition should be fully recovered, secured and properly accounted for.”
SERAP described the Auditor-General’s findings as a serious breach of public trust.
“The Auditor-General’s findings suggest a grave betrayal of the public trust and raise serious concerns about corruption and the management of public funds, police exhibits, firearms and ammunition.”
The organisation also expressed concern over allegations involving missing firearms, unauthorised use and release of police exhibits, and poor storage of weapons.
“The report also raises serious concerns over missing firearms and ammunition, the unauthorised use and release of police exhibits, failures to properly account for exhibits, and the insecure storage of firearms, creating significant risks to public safety and national security.”
According to SERAP, the alleged diversion of funds meant for policing and the reported irregularities have weakened the operational effectiveness of the Nigeria Police Force.
“The diversion of funds meant for policing, abandoned security projects, missing firearms and ammunition, and the misuse of police exhibits undermine the operational effectiveness of the Nigeria Police Force, weaken public confidence and may contribute to Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.”
The organisation said the Auditor-General’s report documented several alleged financial irregularities, including payments for projects that were never executed, abandoned contracts, inflated contract costs, irregular procurement, unretired cash advances, unsettled insurance claims and payments for services allegedly not rendered.
“The report documented numerous alleged financial irregularities within the Nigeria Police Force and the Federal Ministry of Police Affairs, including payments for projects that were never executed, abandoned contracts, inflated contract costs, and irregular procurement.”
“The report also documented unretired cash advances, unsettled insurance claims, payments for services allegedly not rendered, and other suspected diversion and misapplication of public funds amounting to over ₦6.79 billion.”SERAP further cited allegations of missing firearms and ammunition, failures to properly account for recovered weapons and exhibits, and insecure storage of firearms.
“The allegations also include missing firearms and ammunition, the unauthorised use and release of police exhibits, failures to properly account for recovered firearms and other exhibits, and the insecure storage of firearms, posing serious risks to public safety and national security.”
The organisation gave the Federal Government seven days to act on its demands, warning that it would pursue legal action if no response is received.
“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within seven days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal action to compel your government to comply with our request in the public interest.”
SERAP also argued that the allegations, if left unaddressed, would violate constitutional provisions requiring the government to combat corruption and safeguard the welfare and security of Nigerians.
Among the specific findings cited from the Auditor-General’s report were allegations of payments for abandoned and unexecuted police projects worth hundreds of millions of naira, inflated contract values, unretired cash advances, irregular procurement processes, unsettled insurance claims exceeding ₦681 million, over ₦1 billion in uncleared insurance policy liabilities, missing firearms and ammunition, unauthorised release of police exhibits, and contracts allegedly awarded without due diligence by the Federal Ministry of Police Affairs.
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