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The Chief Executive Officer of Edniesal Consulting Limited, Abiola Laseinde, has attributed women’s low participation in the digital space to self-doubt.
Although Nigerian women are visible in digital spaces, they are not yet well represented. According to the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS), young men are almost twice as likely to have a career in technology-related fields as women.
Various experts have previously cited limited access to education and digital tools, as well as cultural and gender biases that discourage women from pursuing tech careers, as key contributing factors. However, Abiola Laseinde offered a different perspective while speaking on News Central’s Jasiri on Thursday.
“Our digital ecosystem starts with us.”
Abiola Laseinde says the biggest barrier to women thriving in the digital space is not a lack of opportunity, but a lack of self-belief and intentional collaboration. pic.twitter.com/Mhgoe3uIJ3
— News Central TV (@NewsCentralTV) April 2, 2026
According to her, women risk being left behind if they do not actively position themselves within the accelerating digital revolution.
“Because digital revolution is here and it’s going to get more exponential, whether we like it or not. If you don’t happen to it, in the sense that you harness it, you leverage it, it’s going to happen to you. So then, taking our DNA, by virtue of every touchpoint we have with our world, our digital ecosystem starts with us,” said Laseinde.
“So, your question, we are unaware, we are shy about it, we are unsure about our stance, if we will indeed thrive in that ecosystem. So that’s the barrier, it’s self-limiting thoughts. How would that even start? Where would I start from? So for me, I’m owning it, I’m saying it’s my fault that I’m not putting myself out there.”
She recalled an incident in which she asked some women why they were not interested in taking on roles in the digital space, and they told her they had to work extra hard to thrive there. She told News Central that it saddened her.
“And it was very clear that the women were not just interested. So we got into that room, it was like a club-like setting to just make everybody relax and say, excuse me, why are you not interested in this? And they were like, oh no, we have to work double hard, we don’t just want the spotlight, let’s just keep doing what we’re doing behind this,” Laseinde added.
“I was really, really sad. Because I’m like, if you don’t even want to do this for yourself, look at the ‘japa’ Syndrome. Why can’t you do this for another young female upcoming leader? Put yourself forward.”
