The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has called for the integration of gender and environmental perspectives into Nigeria’s digital governance framework.
The call was made at the end of a two-day capacity-building workshop organised by CITAD, with support from the Association for Progressive Communications (APC).
The workshop, titled “Engendering and Greening Digital Policies,” was held in Kano from 8 to 9 December 2025.
The training brought together civil society groups, digital rights advocates, and campaigners for gender and environmental justice.
Declaring the event open, Hamza Ibrahim, who represented the Executive Director of CITAD, Malam Y. Z. Ya’u, said the initiative was conceived to ensure that Nigeria’s digital policy direction promotes inclusion and sustainability.
“Our digital future must be inclusive and environmentally responsible.
“This training is part of our commitment to ensuring that gender justice and climate concerns are not treated as afterthoughts in policy-making,” he said.
He noted that digital governance must be designed to avoid reinforcing inequalities or overlooking climate implications.
Also speaking, the Project Officer, Fatima Babakura, said the workshop sought to build participants’ capacities in two major areas: greening digital policies and engendering advocacy.
She explained that the greening component focused on promoting environmentally sustainable approaches to technology development and governance, while the engendering aspect aimed at embedding feminist and climate justice perspectives into policy and advocacy processes.
“This workshop is equipping participants with practical tools to analyse, influence and reshape digital policies so they can become more inclusive and sustainable,” she said.
Babakura added that participants engaged in expert-led sessions, interactive discussions and group exercises designed to provide hands-on experience in applying gender and climate justice frameworks to digital policy development.
According to her, issues discussed included Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda, the gender digital divide, environmental impacts of digital infrastructure and strategies for effective policy advocacy.
One of the facilitators, Saleh Umar Anka, Director of Climate Change at the Kano State Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, stressed the need to align digital development with climate goals.
“Technology has a significant environmental footprint, and policy actors must begin to factor climate impacts into digital planning and implementation.
“A climate-sensitive digital agenda is essential for sustainable development,” he said.
He commended CITAD and APC for creating a platform that links digital rights, gender inclusion and climate action.
The workshop is part of CITAD’s ongoing program, “Greening and Feminist Centering of the National Digital Transformation Agenda,” which aims to promote equitable and environmentally responsible digital development in the country.
