YouthUp Global, a youth-led development organisation committed to empowering young people across Africa, has launched the DigitizeHer Campaign, a Pan-African initiative that will equip no fewer than 10,000 young women across 10 countries with digital skills, mentorship and access to economic opportunities.
The campaign was unveiled during a virtual symposium themed “Closing the Digital Gender Gap in Africa: What Must Be Done.”
The event brought together experts, development leaders, digital inclusion advocates and young women from across the continent to discuss practical strategies for ensuring women are not only included in Africa’s digital economy, but empowered to lead it.
Delivering the keynote address, Gender Inclusion Advocate, Dr. Dinatu Dama Maji described women’s exclusion from the digital economy as a major threat to Africa’s growth.
“When a woman is excluded, innovation suffers. When women are left behind, productivity declines. And when half of the population is unable to fully contribute, sustainable development becomes practically impossible.”
She urged governments, businesses and development partners to move beyond dialogue and invest in digital leadership, infrastructure and mentorship for women.
Dama Maji stressed that giving women access to digital skills is not just empowerment; it is workforce development. Providing mentorship is not just support; it is leadership cultivation. Creating opportunities is not just inclusion; it is economic expansion.
During the panel session, Programme Lead, Millicent Adhiambo Otieno said Africa’s challenge is no longer only about access to technology as the continent does not have a digital access problem anymore but a digital translation problem.
According to Otieno, millions of women are already online but lack the pathways to convert that access into sustainable careers. “Being digitally present is not the same as being digitally empowered,” she said.
She called for programmes to move beyond certificates and create direct pathways to employment, entrepreneurship and income.
In the words of Priscilla Ngambi, co-founder of Trendline Training and Consultancy Limited, the need for collaboration and deliberate policy intervention is crucial to empowering women digitally.
“Collaboration is not about creating competition. It is about making a deliberate move to work with the right people so there is real inclusion for women and girls,”
Reflecting on her own journey into the digital sector, Ngambi noted that self-doubt and lack of guidance often stop women from entering the field.
“I earn in one month what used to take me twelve months to earn. That is the power of digital opportunity when women are supported properly.”
Leah Sambala, youth advocate and global ambassador from Tanzania, highlighted the persistent barriers women continue to face across Africa.
According to Leah, “The first challenge is infrastructure. In many communities, women still face the high cost of data, unreliable electricity and limited access to devices.”
She also stressed that digital literacy and cultural barriers remain significant obstacles, calling for a speedy and deliberate stakeholders involvement.
Delivering a goodwill message on behalf of Zambia and MySpace Hub, founder Sandra Kambikambi said that women’s underrepresentation in digital programmes remains a major challenge across the continent.
“This is not just a gender issue. It is an economic issue affecting our communities, our countries and the whole continent.”
Kambikambi revealed that in a recent national digital literacy programme delivered by MySpace Hub and MTN Skills Academy, only 35 percent of participants were women.
She added that the goal is to move from 35 percent female participation to more than 50 percent. We want to see true inclusion and representation in the digital economy.
Officially unveiling the campaign, Sola Magaji, Director of Social Impact and Development Programmes, described DigitizeHer as a strategic intervention for Africa’s future. “Today is not just the launch of a programme. It is the beginning of a shift in who participates in Africa’s digital economy, who gets access to opportunity and who shapes the future,” Magaji stated.
Magaji announced that the campaign will provide mentorship, hands-on projects and work experience through the ETDR platform.
“We are going beyond training. We are creating a pathway from learning to experience to opportunity.”
In his closing remarks, YouthUp Global President, Dr. Faith Nwaobia said the campaign represents a long-term commitment to democratising access to opportunity for young women across Africa.
“DigitizeHer is not just about access. It is about ensuring that women have access to quality opportunities and the support to translate those opportunities into real outcomes.”
Concluding, the Vice President, YouthUp Global, Gathoni Kungu submitted that Africa’s challenge is no longer simply access. It is ensuring that digital training translates into real income, opportunity and inclusion for women.
About YouthUp Global
YouthUp Global is a Pan-African, youth-led development organisation championing the ‘Youthconomy’ — a bold vision for an Africa where young people are equipped with the skills, opportunities and support to become drivers of innovation, leadership and economic growth.
