IWD: Cybersafe, UK govt celebrate in style, graduate 2,400 DigiGirls

IN line with the vision of empowering women to balance the gender disparity in the society, Cybersafe Foundation has graduated its first batch of digital skilled young women under the DigiGirls Initiative.

In an event that co-incided with the observance of the International Women’s Day (IWD) celebration, the DigiGirls first batch of ,women that have completed the three-month digital skills acquisition training were graduated.

The project, which is in collaboration with the United Kingdom  government, through its Digital Access Programme (DAP), was initiated to skill and upskill women between the ages of 15-40 years old with in-demand basic to intermediary employable digital skills.

The programme has three key pillars, namely, Training, Mentorship and Internship. These employable digital skills will drive positive livelihood outcomes for trainees themselves and their families, improve employment prospects, encourage digital entrepreneurship in women and girls and generally provide marginalised females in underserved communities with the skills needed to develop successful careers in today’s digital economy.

According to the Founder/Chief Executive Officer of Cybersafe Foundation, Confidence Staveley, with 2,400 beneficiariesin the first batch resident in all the states across Nigeria and the FCT, this purpose-built female-focused programme was able to achieve resounding succeed owing to a handful of strategic elements.

She explained that the programme employs Peer Learning Group system, State Hangouts, where participants in each state cluster to interact, build connections and relationship within their communities. These complement their virtual participation in the training modules.

“This event held to create bonds, a sense of community and expand the network of our beneficiaries.

“The trainees also have learning support from Success Advisors or Virtual Assistants, who lead peer Learning groups and act as a first point of contact for beneficiaries and a feedback channel for Cybersafe Foundation. Success Advisors monitor the learning progress of beneficiaries entrusted on them, follow up with them up through calls and messages.

“Some of the improved features for the second batch, which will train 4000 beneficiaries, include the inclusion of disability consideration, gamification and scaling for more impact,” she said.

Staveley, however, pointed to some challenges that face the programme to inlcude infrastructure, where quite a number of beneficiaries do not own a laptop and found it difficult to gain access to one during the duration of the course.

In her remark, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, expressed her delight that the UK government has agreed to increase its level of investment in the programme.

“We are also delighted that as announced last month by the UK’s Minister for Africa, during her visit to Nigeria, we are able to expand this project to directly benefit an additional 4000 women and reach a further 10,000 women through the train the trainer approach,” she said.

She is optimistic that the programme will help in addressing the digital in-equality in Nigeria, which currently holds a 15 per cent gender gap against women.

“The UK supports Nigeria in its bold ambition to create 100 million jobs in 10 years and we believe that the Digital Economy can play a major part in unlocking this.

“Improving girls’ access to education is a key part of the UK’s G7 Presidency and is at the heart of global efforts to build back better from the pandemic.

“That is why we are pleased to be here today at the graduation of the first batch of 2,400 women and girls who benefited from the Digi-Girls project,” she added.

Also speaking at the event, honourary British PM for the IWD, Veronica Aina enthused that she was, “looking forward to a time in Nigeria and the world, where women in tech will no longer be an issue.”