Oluremi Tinubu, NITDA and Nigeria’s digital future, By Shuaib S Agaka

As Nigeria looks towards the future, one thing is becoming evident. Technology is no longer a peripheral issue in national development. It is central to education, economic empowerment, innovation and the country’s competitiveness.

As Nigeria looks towards the future, one thing is becoming evident. Technology is no longer a peripheral issue in national development. It is central to education, economic empowerment, innovation and the country’s competitiveness.

Recently, I came across a news story on TechDigest about the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, laying the foundation for a $10.4 million Renewed Hope Startup Hub in Abuja. I could not help but marvel at the development and, at the same time, feel excited about what the future holds for Nigeria’s technology sector. I was particularly impressed because, at a time when public attention is increasingly shifting towards the upcoming elections, with political activities taking centre stage, the First Lady remains actively involved in initiatives aimed at advancing technology, empowering young people and supporting national development.

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What makes this development even more interesting is that it is not an isolated project. Rather, it reflects a growing commitment by the First Lady to digital inclusion, technology-driven empowerment and the creation of opportunities for Nigerians, particularly women, girls and young people. Her consistent presence at technology-related programmes involving the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) also raises an important question: What does this growing interest mean for Nigeria’s digital future?

For those who have followed her activities, the answer is becoming increasingly clear.

Through her Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), Senator Oluremi Tinubu has established a strong partnership with NITDA, creating opportunities for technology to reach communities and groups that have traditionally been underserved.

One of the most remarkable aspects of this partnership is the establishment of community Information and Communication Technology centres. These facilities are not merely buildings equipped with computers. They represent a deliberate effort to bring digital opportunities closer to people who might otherwise struggle to access them.

The partnership began with the inauguration of a community ICT centre in Bauchi on 12 March, 2024. Named after Zainab Bulkachuwa, the first female President of the Court of Appeal, the centre set the tone for subsequent initiatives.

This was followed by the Amina Ndalolo Community ICT Centre in Ilorin, Kwara State, in January 2025, alongside a ₦50 million grant announced for women entrepreneurs. In April 2025, another centre was inaugurated in Ibadan, Oyo State, and named after former Trade Minister Onikepo Akande.

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The partnership continued to expand, reaching Ihugh, Vandeikya, Benue State, by June, where the fourth community ICT centre was inaugurated and named after Mrs Lucy Zaiyol Aluor. The centre further demonstrated the commitment to making digital learning accessible beyond major cities.

Beyond these community-based facilities, the ambition extends to a broader network of digital learning centres. On 23 October, 2025, the First Lady inaugurated ten such centres virtually, covering Abia, Delta, Edo, Kano, Katsina, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ondo, Yobe and Zamfara states. The geographical spread of these facilities reflects an understanding that digital development must not be concentrated in a few urban centres.

The partnership has also extended into higher education, where the focus is on preparing students for the demands of an increasingly digital economy. Through the collaboration involving the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), ICT Experience Centres are being established across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, with each centre costing approximately ₦1 billion.

The centre at Ekiti State University, commissioned in May 2026, features artificial intelligence tools designed to support students. Similar facilities have been established at the University of Cross River State and Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra State, while Kwara State University, Malete, has also benefited from the initiative.

These centres are expected to support training in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics, software development and other emerging technologies. In a country where young people are increasingly seeking opportunities in the global digital economy, such investments could make a significant difference.

However, providing infrastructure is only one part of the equation. The First Lady’s interest in technology is also reflected in her commitment to digital skills development. The Women ICT Training and Empowerment Programme, organised in collaboration with NITDA, expanded from an initial cohort of women in the Federal Capital Territory to beneficiaries across all 36 states and the FCT. By November 2025, more than 600 women had benefited from the programme.

Similarly, her partnership with Huawei has supported women entrepreneurs through training in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, 5G and digital transformation.

These initiatives are particularly important because access to technology alone does not guarantee empowerment. People must also possess the skills and confidence to use it productively.

This broader vision of technology-driven development is also evident in her activities in Jigawa State. Among the key projects inaugurated was the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Academy, a technology and data-focused institution established and championed by the Director General NITDA, Malam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi.

The academy reinforces the importance of equipping young people with digital skills and preparing them for opportunities in an increasingly data-driven economy. Also inaugurated was the Senator Oluremi Tinubu Clinic, a specialised healthcare facility built and equipped by FutureMap Foundation and eHealth Africa to address chronic kidney disease. Beyond these technology-driven interventions, the First Lady also announced a ₦100 million business recapitalisation grant for 2,000 women petty traders, with each beneficiary receiving ₦50,000. Together, these initiatives reflect a development approach that connects digital innovation with education, healthcare and economic empowerment.

Against this backdrop, the latest development, the Renewed Hope Startup Hub in Wuye, Abuja, brings these efforts into sharper focus. The $10.4 million project, funded through a Japanese government grant facilitated by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), is expected to provide hardware prototyping facilities, incubation, mentorship and international partnerships. NITDA is expected to oversee the hub upon completion.

Although the project is still at the foundation-laying stage, its potential is significant. It could provide a platform where Nigerian innovators move beyond ideas to develop, test and commercialise technology solutions.

For NITDA, these partnerships present an opportunity to translate its digital economy mandate into tangible outcomes. The agency’s responsibility goes beyond policy formulation. It must also ensure that technology infrastructure, digital literacy and innovation opportunities reach the people who need them most.

In this regard, the First Lady’s consistent participation in these initiatives is more than ceremonial. It signals the importance attached to technology as a tool for national development and provides institutional visibility for programmes that might otherwise receive limited public attention.

It is therefore unsurprising that Kashifu consistently portrays the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, as a mother figure and advocate for women and youth empowerment. In a recent public post, he affectionately declared, “Mummy, you’re truly the mother of our nation,” while commending her technology-driven initiatives under the Renewed Hope Initiative. He particularly acknowledged her contributions to digital inclusion, describing her leadership as instrumental in expanding opportunities for women and young people to participate in Nigeria’s digital economy, in line with the administration’s objectives of economic diversification and inclusive growth.

Of course, the real measure of success will not be the number of centres inaugurated or the value of investments announced. It will be whether these facilities remain functional, whether beneficiaries acquire practical skills, whether young innovators build viable businesses and whether women gain greater economic independence.

As Nigeria looks towards the future, one thing is becoming evident. Technology is no longer a peripheral issue in national development. It is central to education, economic empowerment, innovation and the country’s competitiveness.

With the First Lady’s sustained interest, supported by NITDA’s technical capacity and mandate, there is reason to be optimistic about what lies ahead.

The foundation has been laid. The real work, and the real opportunity, is in what Nigerians will build upon it.

Shuaib S. Agaka is a tech journalist and digital policy analyst based in Kano. He can be reached via [email protected]

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