Five pillars. One building.
Each pillar holds up the whole structure. Remove any one and ADA gets weaker. Together they make us strong enough to create real, lasting change for every Nigerian woman.
From the field
"Nigerian women are not lacking ability — they are lacking access."
— ADA manifesto, 2019
Pillar 01
ADA & Technology
Getting women online and in the game.
The case
Right now in Nigeria, millions of women are watching the digital economy grow without them. No smartphone. No data. No training. No idea where to start. That needs to stop.
Open ADA Digital Hubs in all six geopolitical zones — free training centres where women learn digital skills, start online businesses, and build careers in tech.
Build a free learning app available in English, Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo so women who cannot travel to a Hub can still access training on their phones.
Identify women with business ideas and connect them with funding, mentorship, and the networks they need to turn ideas into real enterprises.
Train 1,000 women as Digital Ambassadors who teach other women in their own communities, in their own languages.
Hold an annual ADA Tech Summit where women-owned tech businesses meet investors and get the recognition they deserve.
Push government and telecom companies to make internet access cheaper and more available for women, especially in rural areas.
Pillar 02
ADA & Climate
Putting women at the heart of environmental action.
The case
The woman who depends on a river for water is the first person to notice when it dries up. The woman who farms is the first to feel the damage of bad rains and flooding. Yet when climate decisions are made, women are rarely in the room.
Take climate education into communities, markets, schools and places of worship so ordinary Nigerian women understand what climate change is and what they can do about it.
Set up Women's Environmental Action Groups in at least 200 local government areas — local women caring for and speaking up for their own environment.
Train and certify women as climate advocates who can represent their communities in government meetings and policy discussions.
Launch the ADA Green Fund — small grants for women-led projects in clean energy, waste management, sustainable farming, and water conservation.
Publish an annual report showing exactly how climate change is affecting Nigerian women — and make sure the right people read it.
Demand that every climate policy in Nigeria includes women's voices and women's data. We will not stop demanding until it happens.
Pillar 03
ADA & Identity
A safe place to be yourself and know your rights.
The case
Too many Nigerian women are carrying pain in silence. Violence at home. Pressure to be quiet. Confusion about their rights. Mental health struggles they have been told to pray away. We are creating spaces where women do not have to pretend.
Establish ADA Safe Spaces — physical community rooms and online spaces where women can talk honestly, get support, and access information without fear or judgment.
Run a 24-hour ADA Helpline that any woman in crisis can call for guidance, emotional support, and referrals to legal or medical help.
Take gender awareness programs into secondary schools and universities so the next generation grows up with a healthier understanding of what women deserve.
Connect women experiencing trauma, gender-based violence or mental health struggles with professional counselors and support organizations.
Build a national directory of Nigerian women role models in every field — so every girl can see a version of herself in a position she aspires to.
Speak out publicly and consistently against early marriage, female genital mutilation, and every practice that holds Nigerian women back.
Pillar 04
ADA & Leadership
Training the next generation of women who will run things.
The case
Nigeria has never lacked female talent. What it has lacked is structured, deliberate investment in that talent. Women who could be governors, CEOs, professors and community leaders have been passed over. ADA Mandate is here to end that.
Launch the ADA Leadership Academy — a serious, structured training programme that prepares women for leadership in politics, business, community work and public service.
Match thousands of young women with experienced mentors — women who have gone before them and are willing to show them the path.
Give women who want to run for political office the practical tools to do it: how to campaign, how to raise funds, how to speak to voters, how to win.
Hold an annual ADA Awards to publicly celebrate Nigerian women whose leadership has made a real difference. We want these women to be household names.
Create the ADA Scholarship Fund for brilliant girls from low-income families who deserve a university education and have not been able to get one.
Monitor how many women are in leadership positions across government and business, publish the numbers every year, and hold institutions accountable for the gaps.
Pillar 05
ADA & Economic Independence
Because a woman with her own money can do anything.
The case
Everything else we do becomes more possible when a woman has economic independence. When she has money of her own, she can make decisions of her own. She can leave a bad situation. She can invest in her children. She can take risks.
Train at least 20,000 women every year in how to start and grow a business, manage money, save, and access loans and grants.
Open ADA Enterprise Hubs where women can work, get mentorship, register their businesses, and connect with customers and markets.
Work with banks and fintech companies to create financial products designed specifically for women — without ridiculous collateral requirements that most women cannot meet.
Help women-owned businesses get government contracts, enter export markets, and supply to bigger companies looking for them.
Fight the laws and customs that stop women from owning land, inheriting property, and accessing credit — these are not just legal issues. They are economic ones.
The doors are open