UK-based Global Feminist Solidarity and Action (GFSA) has partnered with Digital Skills Initiative of Nigeria to organise a four-month training programme for 150 selected women in Kwara State.
The programme, which was launched yesterday in Ilorin, is aimed at providing the participants with modern digital skills to enhance their self-reliance and economic opportunities.
Speaking at the presentation of the project titled “Webfala SafeHer Programme,” Nafisat Bakare, Executive Director, Digital Skills for All Programme, Webfala, a partner organisation, said “the training will provide them with digital skills that will enable them to thrive in this field and become independent in their future endeavours.”
Bakare expressed the hope that the programme would encourage more girls and women to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields and contribute to bridging the gender gap in Nigeria’s tech ecosystem.
She emphasised that the focus of the programme is to protect women and girls from sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), highlighting the prevalence of such violence in the Nigerian society. Citing available data, she noted that 30 per cent of Nigerian females between the ages of 15 and 49 have been sexually abused.
On the selection process of the beneficiaries, Bakare disclosed that a total of 637 applications were received for the call. Of these, 312 were shortlisted for interviews and screening, while 150 were eventually selected for the training programme.