By Ify Aronu-Okafor
A 2023 UNICEF report indicates that for every 100 male youth with digital skills only 65 female youth possess similar competencies.
Nigeria was one of the 32 countries and territories involved in that study which discovered a 35% gender skills gap among youth, underscoring the need to scale up interventions for equitable skills development in the country, and other parts of the Global South.
To empower young girls in Nigeria and bridge the digital divide, Lifting Lives & Communities Initiatives (LIFT), in partnership with Activ8 Hub, Awka, unveiled a six-month free digital skills training and mentorship programme for adolescent girls in Anambra State on April 25th, 2025.
Bridging gender digital divide, economic empowerment, self-reliance and accelerating gender equality in Nigeria are at the core of the LIFT and Activ8 Hub digital skills training and mentorship programme for adolescent girls in Anambra State.
Welcoming participants to the official flagoff event, the programme coordinator, Ms. Ogechi Faustina Ezeukwu gave a detailed overview of the programme, urging the girls to seize the opportunity and commit wholly to building successful careers in technology.
Facilitating an engaging experience sharing session, the founder of Women Impact Network, Onyinye Nmecha motivated the girls to gear up for an intensive yet rewarding journey in the technology world.
“The pilot phase of this empowerment programme was held in Lagos, South West, Nigeria, and we are happy to host the second phase in Anambra State, South-East, Nigeria”, said the founder of Activ8 Hub, Mr. Ralu Chukwuma Mezie-Okoye.
“In addition to mentorship and digital skills training, this initiative aims to empower 20 girls to fully activate their tech journeys”, he revealed.
At the historic UN Summit of The Future in September 2024, the global community reappraised the necessity of a more inclusive digital landscape where women and girls can fully participate and lead in the digital age. The Global Digital Compact, an annex of the Pact for the Future, reinvigorates efforts to enhance access and participation of marginalized groups including women and girls, while promoting investment in digital skills and education by 2030.
Through the six-month free digital skills training and mentorship programme for adolescent girls in Anambra State, LIFT and Activ8 Hub have shown that collaborations by global and local organisations can contribute to global efforts to bridge the gender gap in the tech ecosystem and promote sustainable development.
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