PRESS RELEASE
16 May 2025
Lagos, Nigeria
Centre for Media and Society Commemorates
World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2025.
Accelerating Gender Equality in Nigeria’s Digital Transformation
As the world commemorates World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) 2025, the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO) is urging accelerated action to bridge Nigeria’s digital gender divide, emphasising that inclusive digital transformation is vital for sustainable national development.
The Executive Director of CEMESO, Dr. Akin Akingbulu, highlighted the urgent necessity for proactive interventions, particularly in addressing persistent barriers that significantly restrict digital access and participation for women and girls across Nigeria.
Despite impressive advancements in telecommunications and digital infrastructure, digital participation remains disproportionately skewed against women. Current statistics indicate that merely 20% of Nigerian women use the internet compared to over 37% of men. This gap widens significantly in rural communities, where digital opportunities could profoundly impact agriculture, healthcare, and education. Moreover, affordability, literacy, and online safety concerns exacerbate this digital exclusion.
Dr. Akingbulu stressed that achieving gender equality in digital access is essential, stating, “A nation cannot leap into the digital future while leaving half its population behind. Gender equality in digital access and participation is not a luxury—it is an imperative for development, democracy, and good governance.
Key areas of concern for CEMESO include:
- Access and Affordability: Exorbitant data costs disproportionately exclude women.
- Safety and Online Gender-Based Violence: An alarming 58% of Nigerian girls aged 15–25 have experienced online harassment. This severely limits digital participation among women and girls.
- Digital Literacy and Education: Current initiatives inadequately reach rural communities, while many schools lack essential ICT resources and trained personnel.
- Exclusion in Critical Sectors: Women remain significantly underserved and underrepresented in digital innovations within agriculture, healthcare, and financial technology sectors.
To effectively address these challenges, CEMESO advocates for the following targeted interventions:
- Support for legislative efforts advocating for fair internet pricing and reducing broadband deployment costs.
- Implementation of the National Gender Digital Inclusion Strategy (NGDIS), reinforced by clear timelines, budgets, and rigorous performance monitoring.
- Expansion of community Wi-Fi and subsidised digital devices targeting women-led cooperatives, markets, and rural communities.
- Localisation of digital skills training programmes through community radio, local language platforms, and mobile outreach units to ensure widespread accessibility.
- Mainstreaming of digital safety education to mitigate online harassment and gender-based violence.
- Enhanced support for women-led innovations and entrepreneurship by fostering partnerships between financial institutions and women entrepreneurs in agri-tech, e-commerce, and health-tech sectors.
The media plays a pivotal role in shaping societal norms and influencing policy changes. Dr. Akingbulu urged the Nigerian media to proactively amplify positive narratives of women succeeding through technology, diligently report on gaps in digital policies and funding, and rigorously hold stakeholders accountable for commitments made toward inclusive ICT policies.
He concluded, “Digital transformation can only be genuinely transformative when it embraces and empowers all citizens, particularly women. On this WTISD, we reiterate our collective responsibility towards ensuring that digital equality becomes integral to Nigeria’s growth and prosperity.”
Media Contact
Timothy Bamidele
Programme Manager
tbamidele@cemesong.org
+2348056544562
