Now recognised among Nigeria’s Top 50 Public Relations Professionals in the prestigious GLG Communications Power List 2025, in partnership with The Guardian Newspaper, and previously honoured in Techeconomy’s IWD2025: 100 Women Shaping the Future, Umar’s rising profile is no accident, it is the result of a career defined by vision, discipline, and excellence.

As the Director of Corporate Communications and External Relations at the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Hadiza Umar has emerged as a critical voice in shaping how Nigeria’s digital transformation story is told, not just to citizens, but to the world.

A Strategic Storyteller in a Digital Era

In a world increasingly influenced by perception, misinformation, and digital velocity, effective communication is more than a PR tool, it’s national infrastructure.

Hadiza Umar understands this deeply. She has strategically positioned NITDA as not just a government agency, but a policy shaper, innovation driver, and development catalyst.

Through her leadership, NITDA’s communications strategy has evolved into a coherent, multi-stakeholder engagement system that resonates with Nigeria’s youth, private sector, development partners, and the international community. She has successfully led campaigns that demystify technology policies, promote data protection, digital skills, and indigenous tech innovation — amplifying both NITDA’s mandate and Nigeria’s global voice.

The Power List Recognition: A Career Milestone

Her inclusion in the GLG Top 50 PR Power List 2025 places her alongside Nigeria’s most accomplished communicators, professionals shaping public opinion, building brands, and steering national narratives.

This recognition underscores her role in positioning public institutions as modern, responsive, and aligned with Nigeria’s digital aspirations.

“She embodies what it means to be a communications leader in today’s Nigeria,” noted GLG’s editorial team. “She doesn’t just represent a government agency; she represents a movement towards greater transparency, digital inclusion, and public accountability.”

A Trailblazer Among Women in Tech and Policy

Earlier in the year, Hadiza was also listed among Techeconomy’s “100 Women Shaping the Future”, a powerful compilation of women leaders redefining the tech and innovation landscape in Africa. Her dual recognitions in both public relations and technology spheres reflect a unique ability to bridge sectors, a rare and valuable asset in the modern communications space.

Being one of the few women leading communications at the highest level of Nigeria’s digital governance structure, she continues to serve as a role model for young women aspiring to careers in ICT, media, and policy.

Leadership Rooted in Purpose

What makes Hadiza Umar stand out is not just her professionalism, but her deep-rooted belief in the power of communication to enable change. Whether she’s managing a crisis, promoting a national initiative like the Nigeria Data Protection Act, or guiding NITDA’s media engagements, she does so with calm confidence and strategic foresight.

Beyond her role at NITDA, she is actively involved in inter-agency coordination, public sector reform discussions, and capacity development initiatives, especially around women’s leadership in ICT and governance.

Looking Ahead: A New Generation of Public Communicators

Hadiza’s influence signals a broader shift in Nigeria’s public communication landscape, one that prioritises engagement over propaganda, clarity over obfuscation, and digital reach over bureaucracy. She represents the new face of strategic communication in government, where storytelling, technology, and trust converge.

As she continues to elevate public discourse and connect citizens with policies that matter, Hadiza Umar is not just managing communications. She is reshaping national perception and lighting a path for the next generation of communicators.

In a time when trust in institutions is fragile and attention spans fleeting, professionals like Hadiza Umar remind us that effective communication remains a cornerstone of progress. And for Nigeria’s digital future, hers is a voice we’ll be hearing, and learning from, for years to come.

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Of course, international wars have moved from the ground borders to the territorial space, with the support of satellite technology hence African countries, which already have over 48 satellites in space, cannot afford to play in silos. There is urgent need to collaborate to grow local content in satellite technology and to protect the African territorial space.

The UN-affiliated regional centres in Morocco and Nigeria have trained several hundred Africans in these areas.

In addition, some African countries have procured small satellites, mostly through the help of academic or commercial institutions abroad. But, technology transfer must happen for the benefits to become more obvious.

Similarly, panelists at the just concluded Africa Tech Festival in South Africa agreed that ‘satellite technology should be viewed as complementary rather than competitive in addressing Africa’s demands’.

Tinuade Oguntuyi, the head of Network and Solutions, Information Connectivity Solutions Limited (ICSL) moderated the session that discussed “Satellite Redefined – Africa is forging its path into space”.

The panelists are:

• Abymbola Alale, Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) Limited
• Rakesh Kukreja, founder I-SAT group
• Abdallah Nassar, Chief Engineering and Network Officer (Orange Cameroun )
• Sophia Farrar, Lead Partnership GIGA (UNICEF and ITU initiative)

Important takeaways from the panel discussion as enumerated by Tinuade:

1. Every player in the space economy—operators, providers, regulators, and the government—should consider their role in the value chain as distinct yet collaborative

2. Adopting a communal consumption culture will reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) for satellite communications.

3. Satellite technology should be viewed as complementary rather than competitive in addressing Africa’s demands

4. To facilitate the deployment and upkeep of satellite communications, the right laws and rules should exist

5. Satellite is crucial for connecting schools globally and in Africa.

6. All other communication platform, including fiber optics, microwave technology, and SIM, can be used to ensure that satellite deployment is successful.

7. Satellite will play a vital role where other forms of communication can’t, particularly in hard to reach communities.

8. Africa should intentionally focus on applicability and adaptation rather than copying and pasting solutions.

In her concluding remarks, Tinuade said, “True, LEO Satellite is here; let’s start approaching the adoption of cutting-edge technology through the prism of its commercial viability, applicability, and safety”.

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