Iklima Musa Salihu

Iklima Musa Salihu is no doubt one of the most influential and impactful women in tech who is aggressively contributing to the development of Nigeria’s digital economy. From her vantage position as the Special Assistant to the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), she has led the implementation of several policies, programmes and initiatives that has spurred impressive growth of the Agency as well as the IT sector.

A dynamic IT professional and innovation strategist, Mrs Musa possesses a wealth of expertise spanning digital innovation ecosystem development, strategy formulation, digital transformation, network operations, and growth management. With nearly a decade of corporate experience across the public and private sectors, she has established herself as a force for innovation and progress.

Mrs. Musa holds a master’s and bachelor’s degree in information technology from Infrastructure University Kuala Lumpur. She is also a recipient of several executive education and certifications in innovation, strategy, networking, performance management and organizational transformation, from top-notch universities including Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, London Business School, Balanced Scorecard Institute and Lagos Business School. Her credentials reflect her commitment to driving Nigeria’s technology ecosystem.

At NITDA, she has been instrumental to the explosive transformation of the Agency and the successful work of her principal. She has been actively involved in designing and crafting IT policies and strategies, innovation ecosystem acceleration programmes and driving organizational transformation. In 2021 and 2024, she led the team that crafted and launched the NITDA Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan, (SRAP 1.0 and SRAP 2.0) to provide direction, and ensure Nigeria’s attainment of the digital economy, as well as provide several job opportunities for Nigeria’s teeming youths. Through meticulous and successful implementation of SRAP 1.0, over 3.3 million Nigerians have been trained through a multisectoral digital literacy approach. Additionally, the tech innovation ecosystem has been enabled through the implementation of programme such as MassChallenge, MIT REAP, iHatch, Founders Institute Acceleration Programme and global participation. This has accelerated growth through an investment of US$400,000 and ₦382 million in grants for startups culminating into the creation of over 10,000 jobs and in raising over US$5 billion between 2019 and 2023, representing nearly 30% of all funding raised in Africa.

Her recent work on bridging Nigeria’s gender gap through the formulation of the draft National Gender Digital Inclusion Strategy (NGDIS) has been pivotal in setting the groundwork for creating equity and inclusion for women and girls. Her contribution through the formulation and implementation of the NITDA financial strategy has helped increase the Agency’s revenue from a level of 7% in 2021 to 92% in 2024. This has setup enviable standards and has improved the country’s overall tech outlook. Her contributions have earned her Ministerial commendation from the Honourable Minister of Communications & Digital Economy in 2021 and her boss the Director General of NITDA for her outstanding efforts in advancing the Agency's mission.

Prior to her current role, Iklima served as a Senior Programme Officer at the Office for National Content Development in ICT (ONC), now known as ONDI (Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation). She championed the adoption of indigenous ICT content and spearheaded initiatives to bolster the digital startup ecosystem across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.

Before joining ONC, she worked as a Network Operations Center Manager with Suburban Fiber Co. - Legend, where she oversaw infrastructure management, wireless network design, implementation, and multi-site enterprise network administration.

Known affectionately as “Iklima” by her friends, colleagues, and associates, she continues to shape the future of Nigeria's digital landscape. Her unwavering dedication to innovation and strategic leadership exemplifies her vision for a truly digital Nigeria, where technology empowers lives and drives sustainable development.