By Ayo Onikoyi

As Nigeria’s digital economy continues to scale, the demand for skilled product leaders who can combine technical execution with ecosystem impact has never been greater. One of the emerging voices shaping this space is Hassanat Abubakar, a Product Manager and digital skills advocate whose work spans fintech, Healthtech, Edtech, and talent

development.

With four years of experience in product and project management, Hassanat has contributed to the delivery of large-scale digital platforms serving both private and public institutions in Nigeria. Her work reflects a strong focus on user-centred design, operational

scalability, and sustainable digital adoption.

We spoke with Hassanat about her journey, her work, and her growing influence in Nigeria’s digital technology ecosystem.

You’ve worked across multiple sectors — fintech, healthtech, edtech. What has that experience been like?

Hassanat explains that working across sectors has shaped how she approaches product development.

“Each sector comes with its own complexity. Financial services require strong security and regulatory thinking, healthtech demands reliability and empathy, while edtech is deeply tied to accessibility and scale. Across all of them, the constant is understanding real user problems and building systems that actually work in context.”

Hassanat has been involved in the development and rollout of enterprise-grade digital solutions for banks, and big enterprises, core solutions within the health industry, Fintech and also Education.These solutions collectively serve millions of users, demonstrating her ability to translate complex organisational needs into reliable digital products.

She currently works as an Engineering Manager at Roqqu, a growing Nigerian fintech company, where she contributes to the development of secure, customer-focused financial products in a highly regulated environment.

Beyond her corporate role, Hassanat is widely recognised for her contributions to digital skills education and talent empowerment and largely the Product Management community. She is the founder of FUSE Varsity, an edtech platform focused on equipping Africans with practical, job-ready skills for the future of work.

“Talent exists everywhere, but access doesn’t. I’ve seen how the right guidance, community, and resources can completely change someone’s career trajectory,” Hassanat said.

Hassanat has spoken at over 100 tech events, she said, contributing to conversations on AI, Business, Career, Product and Technology.

When we talk of her contribution in the tech ecosystem, we never miss to talk about her contributions in building communities, developing initiatives within communities and generally building the talent ecosystem in Nigeria.

Hassanat Abubakar represents a new generation of digital leaders in Nigeria professionals whose impact extends beyond product delivery to ecosystem building, mentorship, and knowledge sharing.

Her career trajectory is marked by sustained contributions to digital innovation, talent development, and inclusive access to technology careers.

As Nigeria’s tech sector continues to grow, leaders like Hassanat are playing a critical role in shaping both the products and the people powering the ecosystem.

When asked to describe the foundation of her journey in one word, Hassanat points to accessibility.

“I’ve always believed in accessibility. When systems, learning, and opportunities are accessible, more people can reach their goals. That belief guides how I build products, communities, and initiatives.