At a pivotal gathering addressing the safety and empowerment of women and girls online, technology leaders and advocates issued an urgent call to rethink how digital platforms serve and protect female users amid rising online violence and exclusion.
They made the call in Abuja during the TfGBV Policy Roundtable, organised by Leading Ladies Africa and TechHerNG as part of strategic advocacy efforts for the 16 Days of Activism global campaign.
Founder of TechHerNG, Chioma Agwuegbo, opened the conversation by highlighting the critical intersection of power, profit, and women’s digital participation.
Agwuegbo, who addressed what she called the “darker side” of the digital economy, said: “We acknowledge the harm and the darker side of the digital economy, which is the fact that a lot of women are not allowed to play, because things like tech-facilitated gender-based violence stop them.” She also pointed to an exponential rise in online harms targeting women and girls over the past three years.
In her keynote address, Regional Portfolio Director, Africa at Luminate, Toyin Akinniyi, underscored the double-edged nature of technology, celebrating its unprecedented possibilities while confronting its vulnerabilities.
“Technology has given us unimaginable power, but it has also given us a new terrain of vulnerability,” she noted, emphasising that harassment, exploitation, and tech-enabled violence continue to shape women’s online experiences.
Akinniyi delivered a challenge to the notion that simple access equals empowerment, adding that access and inclusion without safety is not empowerment, and that access without dignity is not development. She called for meaningful policy reforms, stronger enforcement mechanisms, and real accountability from digital platforms.
Echoing the importance of building more inclusive AI systems, Founder and Executive Director, Leading Ladies Africa, Francesca Uriri, said: “The intersection of women’s leadership and AI in Africa isn’t just about representation, it’s about innovation, equity, and solving real problems. When African women are absent from AI development, the technologies being created often miss critical use cases—from maternal health solutions to agricultural tools that reflect how women actually farm, to financial systems th at serve informal economies where women are key participants.”
According to her, “True economic transformation on the African continent and beyond requires inclusive leadership. Africa’s tech ecosystem is growing rapidly, and AI is creating high-value opportunities. Women leaders in this space aren’t just benefiting themselves—they are opening pathways for the next generation and ensuring these opportunities are distributed more equitably.”
At the summit, the organisers, panellists, and attendees alike reiterated the importance of a shared, collective effort, from civil society, government, the tech industry, and everyday users, to ensure that digital innovation becomes a force for inclusion, dignity, safety, and justice for women and girls.
The conversation marks a critical moment in the growing movement to ensure women and girls can participate fully, safely, and with dignity in digital spaces.
