Tech Leaders Demand Safer Digital Spaces For Women

Technology experts, gender advocates and policy stakeholders have renewed calls for stronger accountability from digital platforms as incidents of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) continue to rise across Nigeria.

The call was made at the Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence Policy Roundtable. Leading Ladies Africa and TechHerNG convened the event as part of activities marking the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign.

Opening the forum, Chioma Agwuegbo, founder of TechHerNG, said the digital economy cannot be considered inclusive when women and girls face heightened risks online. She emphasised that power and profit dynamics within the tech ecosystem often perpetuate exclusion.

Agwuegbo, who examined what she described as the darker side of the digital economy, said, “We acknowledge the harm and the darker side of the digital economy, which is the fact that a lot of women are not allowed to play, because things like tech-facilitated gender-based violence stop them.”

She added that online harms targeting women and girls had risen sharply in the past three years and urged stakeholders to act decisively.

Delivering the keynote address, Toyin Akinniyi, Regional Portfolio Director, Africa, at Luminate, said that technology’s transformative power cannot be separated from its capacity to inflict harm when misused or left unregulated.

According to her, “Technology has given us unimaginable power but it has also given us a new terrain of vulnerability.”

She noted that harassment, exploitation and tech-enabled violence are becoming defining features of women’s online experiences.

Akinniyi challenged the long-held assumption that internet access equates to digital empowerment.

“Access and inclusion without safety is not empowerment, and access without dignity is not development,” she said.

She called for stronger policy reforms, better enforcement mechanisms and greater responsibility from social media and technology companies whose platforms host harmful content.

Speaking on the importance of inclusive AI systems, Francesca Uriri, founder and executive director of Leading Ladies Africa, said that women must be recognised as essential contributors to Africa’s digital future.

Uriri said, “The intersection of women’s leadership and AI in Africa isn’t just about representation, it’s about innovation, equity, and solving real problems.”

However, she warned that excluding women from AI design and deployment leads to technologies that overlook critical needs, from maternal health to tools used in informal markets where millions of African women work.

According to her, “True economic transformation on the African continent and beyond requires inclusive leadership. Africa’s tech ecosystem is growing rapidly, and AI is creating high-value opportunities.

“Women leaders in this space aren’t just benefiting themselves — they are opening pathways for the next generation and ensuring these opportunities are distributed more equitably”

Panellists highlighted persistent gaps across legal frameworks, platform governance and digital literacy. They warned that outdated laws and inconsistent institutional coordination continue to undermine efforts to protect women and girls online.

Experts also argued that social media companies and digital platforms must be held to higher standards by regulators, especially regarding content moderation, user reporting mechanisms, and transparency in handling abuse cases.

Representatives from government agencies pledged to continue strengthening regulatory frameworks but acknowledged the need for better synergy with civil society and the private sector