10 emerging Nigerian women leveraging technology to drive climate action

Climate tech is no longer limited to solar panels, electric vehicles or sophisticated machines built to reduce carbon emissions. 

Across Nigeria, a growing number of women are using technology in different ways to respond to the climate crisis. From artificial intelligence and remote sensing to gaming, digital education, social media and circular-fashion innovation.

For these women, technology is more than a tool for building products. It is a way to make climate knowledge easier to access, bring young people into environmental conversations, create sustainable alternatives and turn climate challenges into practical solutions. 

Some are using digital platforms to educate and mobilise communities, while others are building technologies and businesses designed to reduce waste and help people adapt to a changing climate.

As Nigeria grapples with rising temperatures, flooding, waste pollution, energy challenges and other effects of climate change, these emerging women are showing what climate action can look like in the digital age. 

Here are 10 Nigerian women using technology to drive climate action.

1. Glory Oguegbu — RETTI

Glory Oguegbu is the founder of Renewable Energy Technology Training Institute (RETTI), a renewable-energy organisation focused on expanding access to solar and clean-energy skills in Africa. 

RETTI was established to train, mentor, and provide work experience for youths who will drive the energy transition as skilled workers for the renewable energy industry and as entrepreneurs who directly deploy clean energy solutions. They equip clean energy technicians, developers, engineers, and employees to create reliable electricity access and promote a sustainable world. 

For 13 years, Oguegbu has partnered with global organisations to develop strategies that accelerate Africa’s clean-energy transition by expanding climate literacy, building local capacity, and implementing renewable energy solutions that reach underserved communities. 

2. Jennifer Uchendu — SustyVibes

Jennifer Uchendu is the founder of SustyVibes, a youth-led organisation advancing sustainability advocacy and implementation across Africa. Her recent work explores the intersection of climate change and health, with a focus on youth mental health and women’s sexual and reproductive health.

Jennifer’s journey began with SustyVibes, which started as an educational blog aimed at simplifying sustainability and environmental advocacy for young Nigerians. Recognising the power of pop culture and volunteerism, she transformed them into a vibrant, youth-led movement that uses creative media—music, dance, art, and community events—to drive sustainable action. 

Today, SustyVibes is at the forefront of youth-driven sustainability research and design, bringing together passionate volunteers (aka sustyvibers) to make sustainability actionable, relatable and fun. 

3. Folawemi Umunna — Climate and Ecological Protection Initiative (CEPI)

Folawemi Umunna is the Co-Founder and Project Director of the Climate and Ecological Protection Initiative (CEPI), where she works on climate action, renewable energy and Nigeria’s transition towards a low-carbon economy. 

A renewable-energy professional with experience spanning technology and energy transition, Umunna has also worked on greenhouse-gas inventories and carbon-footprint measurement, bringing technical knowledge into climate action. 

4. Temilade Salami — Tuntunre

Temilade Salami is a climate education and sustainability expert and the founder and Creative Director of Tuntunre. This is a circular fashion brand that turns discarded denim into clothing and accessories. 

After years of climate education and youth advocacy, including founding EcoChampions in 2017, she shifted toward building a practical response to textile waste through Tuntunre. 

The brand rescues discarded denim and transforms it into new products while creating green opportunities for Nigerian artisans. Its first collection rescued 150 pairs of jeans, and the company is incorporating Digital Product Passports and e-commerce to bring greater digital transparency to circular fashion. 

5. Eunice Adewusi — Climiradi

Eunice Adewusi is a machine-learning engineer, AI researcher and climate advocate behind Climiradi and its climate initiative, Project Ayika.

Climiradi Roberts Foundation (CRF) is a youth-led nonprofit that has empowered more than 70,000 youths across 20+ countries, particularly African girls, through STEAM education, climate action, and gender equity programs. 

Key initiatives under CRF include Nexo Girls, Project Ayika, Upskill, and Girls Hack for Impact. Project Ayika is a 6-month Climate-AI Fellowship by the Climiradi Roberts Foundation that empowers African women (ages 10-35) to design tech solutions for climate justice. Through AI, climate science, and cultural storytelling, fellows co-create tools rooted in local knowledge. The program shifts climate narratives and equips communities with practical, inclusive innovations for adaptation and resilience. 

6. Grace James — GreenQuest Innovations

Grace James is a Nigerian game producer and climate advocate who founded GreenQuest Innovations, an initiative using games and immersive storytelling to teach children about sustainability and climate change. 

Her work combines game design, African storytelling and environmental education, reaching thousands of children with climate and sustainability messages.

7. Adenike Oladosu — I Lead Climate Action Initiative

Adenike Oladosu is the founder of the I Lead Climate Action Initiative, where she advocates for climate justice, particularly around the impact of climate change on communities around Lake Chad. She is also a leading ecofeminist who has empowered women to become the true custodians of their environment. 

Her work combines remote-sensing technology, climate research, digital advocacy and grassroots mobilisation to document environmental changes and raise awareness about climate vulnerability. She also uses online platforms to amplify climate education and advocacy. 

8. Ini-Obong Antaih — STEM4Climate Fellowship

Ini-Obong Antaih is a chemical engineer and sustainability professional who founded STEM4Climate Fellowship, a 2026 programme helping women in STEM develop careers and solutions in climate and sustainability. 

Its inaugural five-month virtual fellowship brought together 30 women from across Africa to explore areas including renewable energy, waste management, climate-resilient infrastructure and food security. 

Currently, she is the Climate Startup Advisor for the Global Cleantech Innovation Programme (GCIP). This is a Nigeria Post-Accelerator, implemented by Co-creation HUB (CcHUB) in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology (FMIST) and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA). 

9. Cynthia Ohaeri — Nigerian Girl In STEM

Cynthia Ohaeri is the founder and Societal Impact Director of Nigerian Girl In STEM, a platform helping girls and young women access STEM education, mentorship and digital skills. 

Beyond building a pipeline of young women into science and technology, Ohaeri has worked across solar project management and carbon-efficiency modelling and now researches sustainability, climate finance, energy policy and decarbonisation at the University of Oxford. 

She has also explored technological solutions to environmental challenges, including gas flaring and the decarbonisation of aviation. 

10. Rita Idehai — Ecobarter

Rita Idehai is the founder of Ecobarter, a Nigerian tech-driven waste-management company turning recyclable waste into economic value. 

In 2026, Ecobarter worked with UNIDO and the Government of Japan to develop Nigeria’s first locally made reverse vending machines, which allow people to deposit plastic bottles and receive incentives while the materials are collected for recycling. 

Her goal is to ensure that every household across Nigeria gets connected to a sustainable waste management platform while she is building the adaptive capacities of vulnerable women to climate and economic risks by empowering them to earn a sustainable, decent income working with waste.

Read also: 7 reasons why technical skills alone won’t keep you employable in 2026