Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has graduated the first set of beneficiaries of Women ICT Training and Empowerment Programme as part of the mandate of her pet project, the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), move to empower Nigerian women with enabling skills.

According to a release issued Friday by media aide to the First Lady, Busola Kukoyi, the training had no fewer than 35 women drawn from across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

In her address on the occasion, Tinubu congratulated the participants and emphasized the importance of digital literacy and its role in fostering economic independence, noting that these skills are indispensable tools for driving growth and innovation.

According to her: “The importance of digital literacy and its role in fostering economic independence cannot be overemphasized. In a world driven by technology, these skills empower women to take control of their lives, contribute to their communities and seize opportunities.

“As we celebrate the successful conclusion of this programme, I extend my congratulations to all participants. You have exhibited resilience, determination and a hunger for knowledge that will undoubtedly set you on a path of success.”

On his part, the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Abdullahi, appreciated the First Lady for the opportunity given to work with the RHI.

He said: “Thank you for protecting all the vulnerable Nigerians, we are blessed to have you as the First Lady and mother of our nation. The participants, your daughters are graduating today taking home five major things, they are all equipped with digital literacy and ICT proficiency, they are going home empowered to safely and responsibly use digital platforms, they also master digital marketing on how to be able to use social media to sell your products and services, you are also enlightened on how to be part of the gig economy, you learned skills on how to work remotely and earn money, you also learned how to use productivity tools, and lastly they were empowered on how to network. They are going back home with a laptop and N100,000.00.

“The First Lady has agreed with us to work and collaborate with Renewed Hope Initiative to craft a national digital gender inclusion strategy in order to bring you at parity with the men to benefit from digital economy”.

Also speaking, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, also promised to work with the Initiative in ensuring that the training is extended to millions of women across the country.

He said the programme was in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for women inclusion and empowerment among others.

His words: “I want to extend my appreciation to the visionary of this initiative, our First Lady. Your unwavering commitment to empowerment and progress has charted the course for change for all the members of this cohort. This is a programme that we hope we can partner with you to actually scale significantly. I’m a big believer in the fact that we have to empower women because there is something that works really well for me, women are empathetic and when you have women around you, it is about the good for people, not egos, This is why it is important the role you are playing in the society Ma.

“I must also acknowledge the DG of NITDA and his team for their role in bringing this programme to fruition.

“Women empowerment is fundamental for the development and growth of every society, there is actually no individual that was not raised by a woman. By empowering women, we unlock the unique creativity and innovation that can enrich every aspect of our lives. It is well documented that when we provide equal access to education resources and opportunities, it becomes the architect of positive change, changing the trajectory of economic progress, social harmony and sustainable development.

“This programme represents a critical step in this direction; it also aligned with two priority areas of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the first one being the investment in the digital economy to empower Nigerians with new skills and also sustain jobs. Secondly to driving women empowerment to champion equity and parity across every facet of our lives”.