UK, Cybersafe empower over 4,000 women with digital skills

DigiGirls, an initiative of CyberSafe Foundation, funded through the UK government’s Digital Access Programme, on Wednesday graduated over four thousand women empowered with digital skills.

The British Deputy High Commission’s Office in Lagos made this known in a statement.

The commission said the programme also indirectly benefited over 10,000 additional women through the train-the-trainer programme.

It said the employable digital skills would drive positive livelihood outcomes for beneficiaries, improve their employment prospects and prepare them for digital entrepreneurship.

The commission said the DigiGirls programme aimed at lowering the digital gender imbalance against women in Nigeria by empowering more women and girls with employable digital skills through intensive training mentorship, internship and placements.

It said learning paths for the programme included digital marketing, User Interface, User Experience, graphics design, e-commerce, and data analysis.

Alessandra Lustrati, Head of Digital Development and Global Lead of the Digital Access Programme in the UK government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), commended the trainees on their achievements.

Lustrati said: “Building digital capacity at a local level and testing digital skills development models that work well with specific target groups, like in the DigiGirls approach is central to FCDO overall effort.

“The digital economy can thrive much more and generate opportunities and skilled job only if we make an effort to close the digital gender gap, which in Nigeria is currently estimated at about 25 per cent.

“The DigiGirls project with our partner CyberSafe Foundation, which is a wider UK Digital Access Programme is a great example of how we can help close that gender gap and drive digital inclusion,” she said.

The Founder and Executive Director of Cybersafe Foundation, Confidence Staveley, commended the UK government for the continuous support in making the programme a success and improving the lives of the beneficiaries.

Staveley said: “Thanks to the UK government through the FCDO, the DigiGirls programme from inception has now directly empowered over six thousand women with digital skills.

The founder urged the beneficiaries to make use of their newfound skills. (NAN)