In a powerful move to close the gender gap in Nigeria’s tech industry, Build Nigeria Youth Education Initiative popularly known as Build Nigeria Initiative is driving a mission to equip young girls with the digital skills and tools needed to thrive in the innovation economy.
Founded by Nigerian tech entrepreneur Obiejesi Jude, the initiative was born from a simple but recurring observation. As the founder of a software development startup, Jude frequently received requests from young people asking for tech training. While his company did not offer training services, he saw an opportunity to do more.
“People often reach out to me to train them, but we don’t run a training service,” said Jude. “So I decided to build a community where I can have the means to train as many people as possible.”
From that idea, the Build Nigeria Initiative was born an organization committed to building creative tech talents, with a special focus on young girls. The initiative’s core mission is to raise a new generation of digitally skilled Nigerians who will contribute meaningfully to nation-building through technology.
“We are bridging the gap of allowing more female penetration in the tech space,” Jude said. “That’s why we are focused on 80% of the girl child in our mission.”
Although Build Nigeria Initiative operates entirely virtually at the moment, its impact is very real. The organization runs programs such as training, hackathons, webinars, bootcamps, and tech events, all designed to spark innovation, confidence, and competence in Nigeria’s youth with 80% of its beneficiaries being girls, and 20% boys.
To support learning and access, the initiative also aims to provide laptops, digital learning materials, and mentorship to its participants.
While funding remains one of the biggest challenges, the initiative is currently self-funded by Jude, who is calling for support and partnerships to help scale the program. “We need resources to expand our activities and reach more communities,” he said.
Looking ahead, Obiejesi Jude envisions Build Nigeria Initiative hosting cohorts, hackathons, and educational events across all 36 states of Nigeria, with a bold target of training and providing laptops to one million Nigerian girls over the next 5 to 10 years.
Impact is measured through the growth and success of trained participants many of whom are already stepping into tech spaces with new confidence and purpose.
As Nigeria pushes forward in the digital age, Obiejesi Jude’s Build Nigeria Initiative stands as a symbol of inclusive progress, ensuring that the next wave of tech talent includes and is led by more Nigerian girls.
