Some Nigerian social entrepreneurs and gender advocates have recommended solutions to the digital and economic challenges facing most Nigerian women and girls.

The stakeholders made the recommendations during the 2025 Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum, held between the 15th – 17th of this month at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York.

ECOSOC provided a platform for young people to engage in a dialogue with UN member states and other stakeholders to share their views and galvanise actions in line with the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This year’s ECOSOC Youth Forum, theme ‘Youth at the forefront: Leveraging science and social inclusion for sustainable development’, provide opportunities to discuss commitments to realise the SDGs 3, 5, 8, 14, and 17.

The stakeholders, through a virtual ECOSOC Youth Forum side event panels titled ‘Advancing girls and women economic empowerment for sustainable future’, organised by the Temvert Empowerment Foundation in partnership with the UN Major Group for Children and Youth, and attended by many people from different parts of the world, proffered ways Nigerian girls and women can leverage economic partnership and tech to better their lives and businesses.

The panel, through which they discussed and made recommendations on these issues, was moderated by Michelle Kafe, a British lawyer and anti-poverty activist. On the panel were Temitayo Olatunde, founder and Executive Director of Temvert Empowerment Foundation; Wofai Samuel, Acting Director General of the Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce; and Amanda Obidike, Executive Director of STEMi Makers Africa.

Temitayo Olatunde, in his remarks, stated that the panel aimed at discussing the crucial issues surrounding the unequal economic empowerment faced by women and girls in Nigeria and proffer solutions to them.

“Young people, especially young women and girls, are change-makers and must not be deprived of the economic empowerment to drive change. Every girl and woman must be empowered to break the barriers that emanate from social constructs. When girls and women are economically empowered, the society and the world will thrive,” he said.

Abdulrasheed Adepitan Adetunji, the Public Relations Officer of Temvert Empowerment Foundation, noted that the partnership with the UN body, which was the foundation’s maiden international event, signifies a recognition of their efforts at the international level.

“For many years, we have advocated educational quality, access, and gender inclusion. This milestone marks a significant step in showcasing our commitment to global discourse that aligns with Sustainable Development Goals, particularly as it borders on education, gender equality and development,” Adetunji added.

Speaking on the topic, ‘Public-private partnership for women’s economic advancement’, Wofai Samuel stated that the majority of women in Nigeria significantly contribute to the informal sector and that the gross domestic product (GDP) and most income from small-scale businesses come mostly from the informal sector, which is actively run by women.

Samuel, however, lamented that Nigerian women suffer in acquiring income, finance, and loans from banks and other financial organisations to start or grow their businesses because of their gender. On the other hand, she added that some of the solutions to these challenges include, but are not limited to, attending capacity-building workshops and acquiring skills in trade, services, and business, emphasising that the economy needs people, irrespective of their gender, who can build their capacity.

She urged women to enhance their skills and capacity to enable them to compete favourably in fund assessment, which in turn will enable them to grow their businesses and contribute more to themselves, the economy, and their families.

“People need to stop thinking that they are doing women a favour because they are giving them money and job opportunities. Women need to rise to the challenge. They need to know that people hire for skill, capacity and impact, and not just necessarily because of gender or sex,” she said.

Amanda Obidike, on the other hand, while speaking on ‘Increasing women’s participation in STEM and addressing gender gap in the digital world’, emphasised that men are women’s allies in addressing gender gaps in tech and STEM, adding that one major thing that drives sustainability in the digital world ─ especially in terms of increasing girls’ participation in technology ─ is mentorship, which she added is lacking in Nigeria and Africa.

Obidike noted that another major challenge that hinders girls from becoming interested or participating actively in tech and STEM education or careers is the fear or lack of interest in mathematics, especially because of the way it is taught in schools.

She added that these tech and STEM barriers are usually experienced at the grassroots and mostly in schools through instructional pedagogy. She seized the opportunity to encourage education stakeholders and schools to provide the right resources that will enable students and teachers to acquire basic STEM and tech skills.

Obidike stressed that sustainable programmes ─ such as mentorship, volunteering, incubator programmes, private-public partnerships, and the like ─ that harness the talents and skills of young women and girls are the right step towards addressing the gender gap in the digital world.

“These kinds of programmes should be sustainable. This is where men also come in because collaboration is needed. Since we are trying to accelerate women, we should also understand that men are crucial in this journey,” she said.

The way forward, Obidike continued, requires collaboration and partnership by encouraging peer-to-peer learning, mini STEM clubs, regular volunteering, and dedicated modelling and mentorship. She emphasised that these efforts do not require so many resources, that they only require a sense of community and commitment.