Opening Pathways for Young Women in the Digital Economy
Across Nigeria, the digital economy is creating new opportunities for work, enterprise, innovation, and financial independence. Yet for many young women, especially those from underserved communities, these opportunities remain out of reach. Training is often expensive, access to devices is limited, and even after learning new skills, many young women struggle to find clear pathways into internships, paid work, freelancing, or business opportunities.
Empower Her Skills is Empower To Thrive Development Initiative’s practical skills-building programme designed to help young women gain market-relevant digital and technology skills, build confidence, and connect to real economic opportunities. The initiative supports women not only to learn, but also to participate meaningfully in the future of work.
The programme responds to a growing challenge: many women are eager to enter technology-enabled work but face barriers linked to cost, gender stereotypes, lack of mentorship, limited professional networks, digital safety risks, and unequal access to tools and platforms. For young women with disabilities, these barriers can be even greater when training spaces, learning materials, recruitment systems, financial services, and workplaces are not designed with accessibility in mind.
Through Empower Her Skills, participants receive structured technology training, mentorship, career guidance, digital safety education, and support to transition into internships, employment, freelancing, entrepreneurship, or other income-generating opportunities. The programme also promotes peer learning and alumni mentorship so that participants are not isolated after training, but become part of a growing network of women supporting one another to thrive.
A key strength of Empower Her Skills is its partnership-based approach. ETTDI works with credible training institutions, employers, mentors, disability inclusion partners, and other stakeholders to ensure that participants receive practical, relevant, and inclusive support. The initiative builds on ETTDI’s collaboration with the Industrial Training Fund in Nigeria and reflects the organization’s wider commitment to women’s economic empowerment and inclusive development.
Empower Her Skills is not only about training women to use technology. It is about helping women move from the margins of the digital economy into spaces where they can earn, lead, create, and influence. The programme equips participants with skills, confidence, networks, and digital safety awareness while also encouraging employers, training institutions, and service providers to become more inclusive and responsive to women’s needs.
ETTDI’s goal is to expand Empower Her Skills so that more young women, including women with disabilities, can access practical training and the support needed to turn that training into real livelihood opportunities. By sponsoring one participant, a partner can help unlock a pathway to skills, confidence, work readiness, and economic independence. By sponsoring a cohort, partners can help create visible change for families, communities, and the wider digital ecosystem.
Why It Matters
When young women gain practical digital skills, they gain more than technical knowledge. They gain confidence, income potential, visibility, and a stronger voice in shaping their futures. Empower Her Skills helps ensure that women are not left behind as work, business, and opportunity become increasingly technology-driven.
Our Vision
A future where young women, including women with disabilities, can access the skills, tools, networks, and opportunities they need to participate fully and safely in the digital economy.
