NCC Begins Mentorship Network for Female Telecoms Professionals

Oghenevwede Ohworiole in Abuja

 In a bid to improve women in leadership positions within the telecommunications industry, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has commenced a programme aimed at building a sustainable platform for women in the industry.

Speaking on the maiden edition, the NCC Executive Vice-Chairman (EVC), Dr. Aminu Maida, said the programme would help to shape the younger women in the industry. 

“This event is a gathering to help share experiences and encourage them to aspire and reach the top of their career.

“We have a lot of strong women. I see a lot of promise in the next generation of women in the commission,” he said.

The Executive Commissioner, Stakeholders Management (ECSM) of the NCC, Rimini Makama, who initiated the platform spoke on the reasons behind the initiative.

Makama said the programme was designed to mentor and prepare the next generation of women leaders to create a strong professional network within the commission and the wider telecommunications industry.

“We want to harness that energy and wisdom and channel it into developing women working in the regulatory environment to ensure we continue to build and scale female leadership.

“We also want to institutionalise it so that when I leave the NCC, it will be adopted by whoever comes next. It is not going to die with me; it is here to stay,” she said.

Makama added that the programme would also prepare the next generation of women leaders to create a strong professional network within the commission and the wider telecommunications industry.

She further explained, “the NCC wants to institutionalise a leadership platform that would outlive its current management and remain a permanent feature of the commission’s capacity-building process

“Although several leadership initiatives for women already existed, the NCC programme marked the commission’s first deliberate effort to establish a structured community and mentorship network for female professionals.”

According to her, the commission had made significant progress in promoting gender inclusion, with about 70 per cent of its directors being women.

Makama observed that the strong representation of women in leadership positions within the commission, as well as across the private telecommunications sector, provided an opportunity to harness their experience and expertise for the benefit of younger professionals.