Amal Hassan: Building Nigeria’s Digital Future

Amal Hassan can best be described as a self-made entrepreneur. She is professionally accomplished, nationally relevant, internationally recognised and actively involved in youth and women empowerment.

Hassan is among the few contemporary Nigerians whose fame, wealth and business exploits did not come from politics, public office, or fraud.

She built her wealth by venturing into a then slippery and unfamiliar business terrain – ICT – nurtured and turned it into a global entity.

This celebrated entrepreneur grew up in a region where girls are often encouraged to pursue conventional careers, but Hassan chose an unfamiliar path. She ventured into technology, a field largely dominated by men, and built a company that now employs hundreds of Nigerians and connects the country to the global digital economy.

Born and raised in Kano State, Hassan obtained both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Business Administration from Bayero University, Kano (BUK). Rather than follow the traditional career path available to many women of her generation, she embraced information technology and entrepreneurship at a time when the sector was still largely undeveloped in Northern Nigeria.

Her journey into technology began in 2003 when she established one of the first organised ICT training centres in Kano, with a special focus on equipping young Nigerians, particularly women, with digital skills. At a period when computer literacy was still limited in many northern communities, her initiative opened opportunities for hundreds of young people.

However, her biggest breakthrough came in 2013 when she founded Outsource Global, a business process outsourcing company that provides customer service, call centre operations, software support and technology services to international clients. Many experts doubted that Nigeria could compete with established outsourcing destinations such as India and the Philippines, but Hassan remained convinced that Nigerian youths possessed the talent and capacity to succeed globally.

Under her leadership, Outsource Global expanded its operations to Abuja, Lagos and Kaduna, creating hundreds of jobs for young Nigerians. The company has served international markets and has contributed to positioning Nigeria as an emerging outsourcing destination.

Hassan has also devoted her career to youth development and women’s empowerment. She has consistently advocated digital education, technology training and economic opportunities for young people, especially girls in Northern Nigeria. Her work has helped challenge stereotypes about women’s participation in science, technology and business.

Her achievements attracted international recognition in 2018 when she was selected among 16 women leaders worldwide for the Fortune–US Department of State Global Women’s Mentoring Partnership. The programme brought together emerging female business leaders from different countries for mentorship and leadership development.

She has also served on Nigeria’s 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) Advisory Committee, contributing to efforts to improve digital skills and employability among Nigerian youths.