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Cybersafe Foundation said it has achieved its four-months set target to digitally equip vulnerable girls across Nigeria as the non-governmental organization (NGO) rounded up its training, codenamed ‘DigiGirls Cohort 1.’
The initiative was funded by the UKaid and UK Government through its Prosperity Fund Digital Access Programme.
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Cybersafe Foundation hosted the graduation of several girls from across Nigeria after an intensive four mouths digital exposure on the International Women’s Day.
The training was designed by the NGO as part of efforts to improve digital literacy for girls in Nigeria and across Africa.
During the training, participants were exposed to computing and cybersecurity fundamentals, and digital entrepreneurship skills. Upon choosing a desired career path, participants were taken through an appropriate learning path to get hands-on skills, mentorship, and get internship/job shadowing opportunities.
A beneficiary of DigiGIrls 1.0 Cohort, Miss Adeoye Oluwadamilola explained how the programme helped her to become a boss of her own. She said “I got a website job to design and I was paid N110,000. Yet, before this programme, I couldn’t even operate a computer.”
Adeoye, who studied User Interface and User Experience, UIUE, revealed she was a teacher in a private school where she was earned N15,000 monthly before the programme.
Chioma Okere, another beneficiary of the training told IT Edge News that the experience was a life changer as it helped her to improve her digital skills.
Speaking on the project, the Founder and Executive Director, Cybersafe Foundation, Confidence Staveley, thanked UKAID and trainers for aligning with the Foundation to empower the participants, adding that through the ‘DigiGIrls cohort 1’, several people were educated on digital skills.
Staveley who was visibly elated by the growing testimonials from participants, said, “the impact has been massive and we are prepared to sustain the tempo till the end of the year.
Commenting on the project, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, said young girls must be encouraged to have interest in STEM, and other strategic areas of life because women in Nigeria and globally still face huge challenges and denied their rightful place in politics, governance, business, arts and others.
“The problem number one is women not having enough role models in senior positions, particularly in politics, Sadly, we saw in the constitution amendment, some very good proposals to include women in some strategic positions in politics being rejected by men. Until we break this barrier and enable women to take leadership positions in politics, there won’t be enough role models for girls to aspire and see that they too can break barriers.
“UK government is supporting women in politics, which is one strand of our work and the DigiGirls we are funding is another form of support. It is UK Aid backed and the Prime Minister today, launched International Women’s Day programme for Africa and other developing countries. It is a £20 million investment to partner with business to give young girls the skills they need so that they can take up leadership role in business, politics, climate change and the rest,” Laing stated.
The DigiGirls cohort 2 application is on and will close by 27th March 2022.
