On March 8, annually, the International Women’s Day is celebrated to recognise women’s achievements across various fields.
The commemoration, with the theme “Accelerate Action’’, is designated by the UN to advocate for gender equality and highlight challenges faced by women.
In Nigeria, women play a vital and indispensable role in nation-building; their contributions are multi-faceted.
From technology, economic empowerment, education, healthcare, social cohesion, leadership and decision-making, peace building and conflict resolution as well as cultural preservation–women’s contributions are invaluable.
By demographics, women make up approximately 49 per cent of Nigerian population. Constituting nearly half of the country’s population, it is imperative that women’s contributions are recognised, valued and appreciated.
In the light of the aforementioned, Huawei Technology recently identified with the 2025 International Women’s Day and honoured female tech enthusiasts.
Huawei organised an event to celebrate outstanding female students who excelled in the Huawei ICT Academy and the Women in Tech training programme.
The programme had the title “Cultivating Talent Through ICT Training for a Prosperous Nigeria.’’
Speaking at the event, Huawei Nigeria’s Strategy Director, Mr Eric Chen, highlighted the company’s extensive investment in ICT training, which has benefited over 70,000 Nigerians since 2018.
“We celebrate the achievements of female participants in our ICT Academy and Women in Tech initiative,” Chen said, adding that more than 240 female entrepreneurs had been trained under the programme.
Mrs Comfort Kabirwa, Director of Policy, Research, and Strategy at the Ministry of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, stressed the importance of women’s participation in technology.
“Women constitute only 26% of the global tech workforce. There is still a long way to go in bridging the gender gap,” she noted.
Testimonials from beneficiaries
Several beneficiaries shared their success stories.
Elizabeth Achimugu, Founder of Protect the Child Foundation, said the training equipped her with AI skills to enhance her advocacy work.
“With technology, you achieve much more than with manual labour,” she said.
Huawei’s Senior Public Relations Manager, Dr Oyin Abiola, emphasised the firm’s dedication to positioning Nigeria as a talent hub.
“Our initiatives align with the government’s Renewed Hope Agenda to foster economic growth,” she said.
The event underscored Huawei’s role in advancing digital transformation and bridging gender disparities in Nigeria’s ICT sector.