Stakeholders Urge Training to Boost Women in Digital Economy Growth

Stakeholders in the telecommunications industry have raised concerns over the widening digital divide in Nigeria, stressing that access to technology-driven opportunities remained uneven, particularly for women in underserved communities.

Chairman of the Airtel Africa Foundation, Segun Ogunsanya, while speaking at the launch of the DigiLeap Tech Drive programme in Lagos, said expanding access to digital opportunities is critical to achieving inclusive economic growth across the continent.

“This initiative aims at accelerating digital inclusion across the continent. By bringing the DigiLeap Tech Drive to the women of Ikorodu alongside our partners, we are creating opportunities for skills development and access to the digital economy,” he said.

His remarks come amid growing concerns that Nigeria’s rapidly expanding digital economy has yet to translate into broad-based opportunities, especially for women and young people lacking access to training and infrastructure.

The programme opened applications, targeting about 200 underserved young women in Ikorodu, Lagos, with a focus on equipping them with digital and technical skills required in today’s job market.

Meanwhile, it is implemented in partnership with the Ishk Tolaram Foundation and Co-Creation Hub.

Similarly, training for the programme will be delivered by SAIL Innovation Lab, with emphasis on digital literacy, technical capacity and job readiness.

Commenting on the initiative, chief executive officer of Airtel Nigeria, Dinesh Balsingh, said addressing gender imbalance in the technology sector requires deliberate investment in skills development.

“This initiative is designed to create pathways for young women in underserved communities to participate more actively in the technology ecosystem,” Balsingh said.

Experts noted that while interventions such as DigiLeap may provide short-term relief, they also highlight deeper structural gaps in Nigeria’s education and employment systems that continue to limit women’s participation in the digital economy.

Digital infrastructure experts, Teju Abolade, states, “Without sustained investment in infrastructure, policy support and inclusive education, isolated training programmes may struggle to achieve long-term impact”

The organisers said the programme is open to women between the ages of 18 and 35 residing in Ikorodu, that the targeted approach is aimed at reaching communities where access to digital skills remains limited.