Women In Technology In Nigeria (WITIN) Girls have been honoured with the prestigious 2026 CTO Digital Excellence Award for Universal Access Service.

The recognition celebrates innovation, inclusivity, and impact in the digital space. This award highlights the organisation’s unwavering commitment to bridging the digital divide and ensuring that girls, especially in underserved communities, have equitable access to technology and digital opportunities.

The accolade underscores WITIN Girls’ leadership in advancing universal access through programmes that empower young women with digital literacy, coding skills, and entrepreneurial training. By championing inclusivity and fostering a culture of innovation, WITIN Girls continued to set a benchmark for excellence in digital transformation, inspiring a new generation of female leaders to thrive in the technology ecosystem.

Commenting on the award, WITIN Founder, Mrs Martha Alade, said the recognition belongs first to the girls.

“Through WITIN Girls STEM Clubs & Outreaches, girls across Nigeria are not only gaining access to digital and STEM learning; they are developing solutions to challenges in their own communities. From schools and communities to underserved and hard-to-reach locations, our work is creating opportunities for girls to access technology, develop their capabilities and participate meaningfully in shaping the digital future,” she stated.

Alade noted that the award is also recognition of “our partners, coordinators, teachers, mentors, parents, volunteers and institutions who continue to make this work possible. We are deeply grateful to the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) for recognising WITIN Girls alongside the outstanding 2026 awardees across the Commonwealth. We deeply appreciate and applaud Bernadette Lewis for her excellent leadership.”

According to her, to every girl who has participated, created, experimented, solved a problem or dared to imagine something different, “this is your award too. The work continues.”

The Chairperson of the WITIN Advisory Board, Dr Markie Idowu, said the award strongly affirmed WITIN Girls’ commitment to digital inclusion and to empowering girls across Nigeria to participate in and lead the digital economy.