Dominant Telecommunications firm, MTN Nigeria, has reaffirmed its
commitment to ensuring that the gender disparity in the ICT career
sector is bridged. This statement was made with the backing of the 2026
edition of the International Girls in ICT Day campaign being organized
by eBusiness Life Communication Limited.
The event, which will be held at the Lagos Oriental Hotel on June 25,
2026, is part of an annual campaign initiated by the International
Telecommunications Union (ITU) to sensitize and encourage young women
and girls to delve into ICT and related careers, which are seen to have
been dominated by the male gender. The 2026 theme is “AI For
Development: Girls Shaping The Digital Future”.
MTN Nigeria is one of Africa’s largest providers of communications
services, connecting over 87 million people in communities across the
country with each other and the world. Guided by a vision to lead the
delivery of a bold new digital world, MTN Nigeria has been at the
forefront of this campaign to build human capacity in Nigeria.
Alongside MTN Nigeria, Broadband communication service provider VDT
Communications Limited has also indicated interest in being part of this
year’s campaign. VDT is a licensed Private Network service provider
specializing in the provision of Enterprise Wide Area Network (WAN) and
Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) link connectivity using Fibre Optic and
Wireless Communication infrastructure and access networks.
VDT is a leading Broadband communication service provider to corporate
organizations with leased Fiber Optic trunks to the thirty-six (36)
states in Nigeria and the FCT, with 145 Points-Of-Presence (POP) and
counting with localized technical support staff.
Technology company and fast-growing provider of network and service
management solutions, Zora Communications Limited (Zoracom), and leading
provider of carrier-neutral data center, co-location infrastructure,
Digital Realty Nigeria, have also joined in partnership with the
organizers. Zoracom manages heterogeneous network infrastructure through
innovative solutions that offer end-to-end visibility into complex
digital infrastructure.
Digital Realty West African hub unites connectivity, enterprise, and
financial services. Empowering businesses in Lagos, Nigeria, with access
to undersea cables. The company operates one of the world’s largest data
center platforms, with 300+ data centers spanning 55+ metros across 6
continents. From single racks to multi-megawatt AI deployments,
delivering the flexibility, global reach, and open ecosystems needed to
power innovation.
Zoracom is a technology company for Observability, Cybersecurity and
Infrastructure management, offering solutions that include a unified
network & services management solution for Telco, Miro, Zmart & Fortrex.
Both multiple award winning technology firms have in the past,
demonstrated their support towards ensuring gender balance and youth
engagement in the technology ecosystem.
According to the CEO of eBusiness Life Communication Limited and
convener of the event, Mrs. Ufuoma Emuophedaro, the annual event
underscores the important role women are meant to play in the future of
innovative technology.
While appreciating the companies and institutions that have supported
the campaign over the years, Mrs. Emuophedaro called on other
forward-looking organizations to join hands with eBusiness Life to
sensitize young girls on the need to strategically position themselves
for the careers of the future by latching on to the provisions of
technology today.
She noted that the campaign is premised on the fact that society has
unconsciously relegated the female gender and delegated careers in
technical fields, especially in ICT, to their male counterparts.
According to her, efforts should be made to introduce young girls to
career opportunities in technical fields in both the public and private
sectors to help them have a wider range of options and contribute their
quota in the industry and in the development of the economy.
She said: “We need to equip the girls with transferable and lifelong
skills such as critical thinking, creativity and digital awareness.
Having role models will also be critical, especially in the sciences and
other fields where the presence of women is sparse.”
The 2026 International Girls in ICT celebration event will feature
different competitions among female students from widely selected
private and public secondary schools. These include STEM Quiz and
practical tech competitions. Other features of the day will include the
Student’s Roundtable Discussion, interactive and motivational talk from
renowned women ICT professionals.
Awards and gift prizes will be given to winning schools and students of
the Quiz and Tech competitions. Also, awards will be given to deserving
women who have exemplified themselves in the ICT industry.
The International Girls in ICT Day is an initiative launched through ITU
Resolution 70 with the idea of creating a global environment that will
empower and encourage girls and young women to consider careers in the
field of information and communication technologies.
At the end of the event, it is expected that the young students should
be able to introspect and pursue any desired career path in ICT,
technical or not, without bias or being gender conscious.
This year’s event will have top government and private sector executives
in attendance.
