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Tech Herfrica’s visionary approach to digital inclusion for low income women

By Guardian Nigeria
11 April 2023   |   1:24 am
In the second quarter of 2019, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) contributed 13.85% to Nigeria's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) calculations, surpassing the contribution of Oil and Gas, which stood at 8.2%. This trend signals the growing impact of the digital economy on Nigeria's GDP. Consequently, the Federal Government of Nigeria, led by President Muhammadu Buhari,…

Tech Herfrica

In the second quarter of 2019, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) contributed 13.85% to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) calculations, surpassing the contribution of Oil and Gas, which stood at 8.2%. This trend signals the growing impact of the digital economy on Nigeria’s GDP. Consequently, the Federal Government of Nigeria, led by President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, expanded the office of the Federal Ministry of Communication to include the Digital Economy. This expansion led to the development of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy in 2019.

The National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy is built on eight pillars: Developmental Regulation, Digital Literacy and Skills, Solid Infrastructure, Service Infrastructure, Soft Infrastructure, Digital Services Development and Promotion, Indigenous Content Development and Adoption and Digital Society and Emerging Technologies.

These pillars align with Tech Herfrica’s core initiatives, which are:

Access to markets leveraging E-commerce: Tech Herfrica empowers female traders and farmers in rural and underserved communities to earn more from their work by giving them access to larger and better markets through an e-commerce enabler, herlocalmarket. This enables these women to participate in the fast-growing digital economy in Africa and scale their business as a result. So far, millions of Naira have been facilitated in trade for rural women using WhatsApp, pending the launch of the e-commerce web application.

Digital financial literacy programmes: Tech Herfrica organizes digital financial literacy training programmes for female traders and farmers in rural and underserved communities using indigenous language and content.This is in line with the second pillar of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy, which aims to enable more Nigerians to become digitally literate. The training enables these women to leverage digital financial tools and services, which positively impact the growth of their business and, consequently, their lives.

Facilitating access to internet-enabled smartphones:

Without direct access to the internet, people miss out on the ability to acquire knowledge and skills easily and free of charge, shop online, participate in democracy, communicate freely at a distance, or offer their skills in a range of post-internet industries. Also, if people have access to the Internet but do not have the devices to connect with the available Internet, the gains of the digital economy will still not be realized. To this end, Tech Herfrica facilitates access to affordable internet-enabled smartphones for female traders and farmers so that they can reach more customers outside their local communities.

Policy advisory: Tech Herfrica seeks to contribute to the development and implementation of policies such as the one developed by the Federal Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy. Currently, it reviews existing policies and submits policy briefs with its recommendations.

Facilitating access to financial services including micro-pension plans and health insurance:

According to EFInA, women generally lack knowledge of the financial options available to them and this could be because promotions of these products and services are not targeted at women or the cost of accessing this information (measured in money, time, and energy) may be high due to family responsibilities.

Tech Herfrica facilitates access to micro-pension plans for female traders and farmers. We also facilitate access to health insurance to help alleviate the pressure on their pockets, as health-related issues are a significant expense for these women. These initiatives align with the seventh pillar of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy, which aims to tie the development of the digital economy to indices of well-being in the lives of ordinary citizens.

The National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy developed by the Nigerian government is a significant step towards embracing the digital era and maximizing the benefits it has to offer. At Tech Herfrica, we are dedicated to supporting the government’s efforts and aligning our initiatives with the eight pillars outlined in the policy.

Our focus on providing access to new markets leveraging e-commerce, digital financial literacy programmes, facilitating access to internet-enabled smartphones, and financial services including micro-pension plans and health insurance aligns with the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy’s goal of ensuring that every Nigerian is enabled to participate in the digital economy and its benefits.

In conclusion, we commend the Nigerian government’s efforts towards embracing the digital economy and ensuring that every citizen has access to its benefits. We will continue to work towards our mission of empowering women in rural and underserved communities in Africa to participate in the digital economy and achieve financial independence.

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