The venue was the NECA Building in Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos State and the occasion was a moment for stakeholders drawn from different spheres of life to discuss the need for the womenfolk to see the tech ecosystem as a lucrative avenue to make a better living in the society.
Convened by Hopesalive Initiative for Africa (HAI), a registered Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) of His Imperial Majesty, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan-Ogunwusi, the Stakeholders’ Consultation and Policy Dialogue on Advancing Women’s Digital Inclusion and Economic Participation was a follow-up event after the graduation of about 60 women who were given in-demand digital technology skills last October in Lagos.
The digital empowerment bootcamp, tagged SHE-LEVATE TECH, equipped the graduated young women with hands-on training in UI/UX Design, Frontend and Backend Development, Data Analytics, WordPress, Web Design, and Digital Marketing alongside mentorship, career coaching and job-readiness support.
The Consultant/Facilitator, Ayo Adebusoye, said the Dialogue was aimed at bringing stakeholders together to discuss how women can be more relevant in the ever-growing tech ecosystem, adding that Nigeria is seen as a growing tech hub worldwide, and its women should not be left behind in the lucrative sector.
The Dialogue, among other things, identified policy gaps affecting women’s digital inclusion, examined barriers to women’s participation in technology, explored opportunities for scaling digital empowerment, strengthened cross-sector collaboration, and developed actionable policy recommendations.
With the focus areas which include digital skills and training opportunities, women in tech employment pathways, digital entrepreneurship and innovation, access to digital infrastructure and finance and policy and institutional coordination, the
Dialogue was able to validate policy gaps, agree on priority actions, and strengthen stakeholder coordination.
The stakeholders submitted that women’s digital inclusion is essential for economic growth, technology offers new pathways for women’s empowerment, while collective action is required to unlock these opportunities.
For these to be achievable, the Dialogue believes that synergy must exist between all the implementation partnerships, which include government MDAs, technology companies, innovation hubs and training centres, civil society and development partners and community organisations to drive this inclusion.
Segun Akapo, the Project Manager at HAI, said that the SHE-LEVATE TECH should be seen as a policy-aligned implementation model which directly supports the implementation of Lagos State Government’s Women’s Empowerment (WEE) Policy Roadmap (2025-2030).