By Chukwuma Umeorah
The Federal Government has set a target of bringing 10 million Nigerian women within reach of skills development, digital learning and economic opportunities under the SheIsIncluded initiative.
The initiative, led by the Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion (PreCEFI) in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, is moving into its implementation phase following a two-day summit held in Abuja.
The summit, which had the theme, “Designing for Delivery: Financing. Systems. Scale,” brought together government agencies, development partners, financial institutions and private-sector organisations to develop mechanisms for expanding women’s participation in the economy.
Technical Adviser to the President on Economic and Financial Inclusion and Secretary of PreCEFI, Dr. Nurudeen Zauro, said the summit marked a shift from policy discussions to implementation. “The summit marks a decisive transition from policy conversations to practical implementation.”
The initiative is structured around a coalition involving government, development partners, financial institutions, corporate organisations and civil society, with the aim of creating a coordinated framework for skills development, digital inclusion and access to economic opportunities. Under the framework, women are expected to access learning through mobile phones, acquire practical skills, receive verifiable credentials and use the qualifications to pursue employment, entrepreneurship or financial opportunities. The learning component would remain free to participating women, with implementation supported through contributions from government, development and private-sector partners.
Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, said the government’s approach was to move beyond treating women primarily as beneficiaries of intervention programmes. “For too long, women have largely been beneficiaries of intervention programmes. What we want now is to economically empower them so they become co-creators of prosperity.”
Sulaiman-Ibrahim said the focus on women’s economic participation formed part of its broader economic development strategy, including efforts to expand digital skills and increase participation in economic activities.
According to the figures contained in the initiative’s presentation, national digital skills programmes have reached more than 263,000 Nigerians. However, the government clarified that the figure is not a result attributable to SheIsIncluded. It’s 10 million target is expected to be pursued through the Coalition on Women Empowerment, which brings together government institutions, development partners, financial institutions, corporate organisations and civil society groups.
The coalition is expected to coordinate efforts aimed at expanding access to skills, digital learning, recognised credentials and pathways to employment, entrepreneurship and financial inclusion. Ubuntu Tribe, described as the implementation and technology partner for SheIsIncluded, is expected to support the digital delivery of the programme through its Ubuntu Tribe Academy platform.
The platform uses mobile-based learning and local-language content, with participants receiving verifiable credentials after completing the learning process. Founder of Ubuntu Tribe, Mamadou Kwidjim Toure, said the use of mobile technology was intended to reduce barriers to accessing skills development.
“A woman should not need wealth or proximity to opportunity to develop a valuable skill. Ubuntu’s role is to put that opportunity within reach through the phone already in her hand and a credential the economy can recognise. Access becomes meaningful when it opens a path to real economic participation. Ubuntu is the engine behind Nigeria’s movement. Individual transformation multiplied becomes national transformation.”
The Federal Government’s broader economic agenda includes increasing women’s participation as part of its ambition to build a $1 trillion economy by 2030. However, the government figures on digital skills and the $1 trillion economic target are broader national policy objectives and are not results generated by SheIsIncluded.
The implementation of the initiative will therefore be assessed based on the number of women who acquire recognised skills and credentials and subsequently use them to access employment, establish businesses or participate more fully in the formal economy. The programme is expected to rely on collaboration between government and non-government institutions to maintain free access to learning while expanding its reach across the country.
(The Sun)