News
NCC kaunches women’s leadership mentorship programme to boost female leadership in telecoms
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has launched a Women in Leadership Mentorship Programme aimed at strengthening female leadership and creating a sustainable pipeline of women leaders in Nigeria’s telecommunications and digital sectors.
KANO FOCUS reports that the initiative was unveiled on Thursday in Abuja by the Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management, Rimini Makama, who said the programme was designed to mentor women and prepare them for greater professional responsibilities.
Makama said the initiative would also foster stronger professional networks among women within the Commission and the broader telecommunications industry.
According to her, the NCC intends to establish a leadership platform that will endure beyond the tenure of the current management and become a permanent feature of the Commission’s capacity-building efforts.
“Although several leadership initiatives for women exist, this is our first deliberate effort to create a structured community. We want to build a mentorship network for female professionals within the regulatory environment,” she said.
She noted that the Commission had made significant progress in promoting gender inclusion, revealing that about 70 per cent of its directors are women.
Makama said the strong representation of women in leadership positions presents an opportunity to transfer knowledge, skills and experience to younger professionals entering the sector.
“We want to harness that energy and wisdom and channel it into developing women working in regulation. We must continue to build and scale female leadership across the industry,” she said.
She stressed that the mentorship programme was designed to outlive individual office holders and become an institutional legacy for the Commission.
“We want to institutionalise it so that when I leave the NCC, it will be adopted. It is not going to die with me; it is here to stay,” Makama added.
Speaking at the launch, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, Aminu Maida, described the programme as a platform for inspiring and nurturing the next generation of female leaders in the telecommunications sector.
Maida said the initiative would provide opportunities for women to share experiences, develop professionally and aspire to leadership positions.
“This gathering will encourage women to aspire and reach the top of their careers,” he said.
He added that the Commission is home to many accomplished women with the potential to assume greater leadership responsibilities in the future.
“I see a lot of promise in the next generation of women in the Commission,” Maida said.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Hussaini Yusuf Datti, has won the Dawakin Kudu State Constituency by-election in Kano State with 23,890 votes.
KANO FOCUS reports that Datti was declared the winner by the Returning Officer, Prof. Ibrahim Tajo Sani, after polling was conducted across the constituency on Saturday, September 19, 2026.
According to the official result declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Datti defeated five other candidates who contested the election.
The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) candidate, Habibu Hamisu, came second with 270 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Abdullahi Adamu, secured 108 votes.
The candidate of the All Democratic Party (ADP), Bala Muhammad Sani, polled 89 votes, while Aliyu Abdullahi of the All Progressive Party (APP) received 53 votes.
The Labour Party (LP) candidate, Abubakar Yahaya Muhammad, secured 39 votes.
The results recorded a total of 24,449 votes across the six political parties listed on the declaration sheet.
After announcing the results, the Returning Officer declared Hussaini Yusuf Datti of the APC the winner and returned him elected, stating that he had satisfied the requirements of the law.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has reaffirmed its commitment to promoting digital inclusion for Persons with Disabilities, saying technology should create opportunities rather than introduce new barriers.
KANO FOCUS reports that the Executive Vice-Chairman of the commission, Aminu Maida, stated this while highlighting the NCC’s interventions aimed at improving access to digital tools and services for persons with disabilities.
According to him, the commission’s interventions include its E-Accessibility Project, which provides information and communication technology tools and assistive technologies to institutions supporting Persons with Disabilities.
A statement sent to KANO FOCUS by Nnenna Ukoha, Director, Public Affairs Department, NCC, on Saturday said Maida also highlighted the NCC’s support for research into assistive technology, including the development of an assistive walking-stick prototype designed to support blind and visually impaired persons.
He said the commission’s fourth NCC Hackathon, themed “Technology Without Barriers,” also encouraged innovators to develop solutions that promote accessibility and inclusion.
Maida said connectivity alone was not enough to achieve meaningful digital inclusion, stressing that Nigerians also needed the knowledge and confidence to use technology safely, responsibly and productively.
“The NCC remains committed to promoting connectivity, digital skills, accessibility, online safety and meaningful participation, with the goal of building a digital Nigeria where Persons with Disabilities can learn, work, do business, communicate and access services with dignity and confidence,” he said.
The NCC boss called for stronger collaboration among government institutions, regulators, technology companies, service providers, development partners, civil society organisations and Organisations of Persons with Disabilities.
He said accessibility should be incorporated from the outset in the design and deployment of digital products and services.
Maida also acknowledged the contributions of the Lagos State Government, the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, the Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs and other stakeholders supporting the programme.
The commission said the intervention had provided more than 100 participants trained in Lagos with practical digital skills, including protecting personal information, identifying potential scams, communicating through assistive technology and navigating the digital environment with greater confidence and independence.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Kano State Ministry of Education, with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has commenced a two-day training for 500 teachers on the use of the Nigeria Learning Passport (NLP).
KANO FOCUS reports that the training, which began on Saturday, is being conducted across 20 centres in the Kano metropolis as part of efforts to strengthen teachers’ capacity to use the digital learning platform.
Some participants at the training
The training centres include GGSS Gidan Makama, GGSS Dorayi Karama, GSS Gwamamaja II, GSS Babbangiji, Day Science and GGSS Dangana.
Other centres are GGSS Maryam Aloma, GGAC Goron Dutse, GGASS Gwammaja, Prof Hafsat, Mairo Tijjani and GGSS Maryam Abacha.
Some participants at the training
The remaining centres are GGSS Maryam Shekarau, GGC Kano, GGSS Masallaci Fagge, GGSS Chiranchi, First Ladies and GGSS Sabuwar Kofa.
Addressing the participants, the Deputy Director, Education Management Information System (EMIS) and Statistics and lead component for Nigeria Learning Passport in Kano, Malam Naziru Surajo, said the Nigeria Learning Passport is a digital learning platform designed to provide learners and teachers with access to curriculum-aligned educational content and support learning continuity.
Some participants at the training
He said the two-day training is expected to equip participating teachers with practical skills to access and use the platform, including navigating learning content and other available resources.
Group picture at GGSS Chiranchi Centre
According to him the exercise is being implemented by the Kano State Ministry of Education with support from UNICEF as part of efforts to strengthen the use of digital tools in teaching and learning across the state.
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NCC reaffirms commitment to digital inclusion for persons with disabilities
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