Women entrepreneurs across Nigeria continue to face several barriers in growing their businesses, including low visibility for their products and services, poor access to wider markets, and limited access to digital skills and knowledge of online business tools. For many women in rural and underserved communities, these challenges often prevent them from expanding their businesses and improving their income.
To address this gap, a series of Digital Micro-Enterprise Training sessions were conducted in the Itas and Jama’are communities in Nigeria's Bauchi state, on 27 and 28 March 2026, as well as in the Dakwa community in Abuja on 1 and 2 April. Itas and Jama’are are rural and semi-urban communities in northeastern Nigeria, while Dakwa is a densely populated suburb located on the border between the federal capital territory of Abuja and the state of Niger. These trainings provided women with practical digital skills that can help them build stronger businesses, improve their livelihoods, and become more financially independent.
To ensure skills are built for business growth, the training focuses on helping women understand how to use simple digital tools to promote and manage their businesses more effectively. Participants learned practical skills such as the using of smartphones for business purposes, creating and managing a social media business account, marketing products on social media platforms, and using digital payment methods and online tools for business management. The workshops also provided training in how to design and create content, edit photographs and videos and create motion graphics and promotional content, while leveraging the understanding of customer engagement and communication.
Young women from the Dakwa community in Abuja were trained in using smartphones and applications to strengthen their businesses and increase their autonomy.
The training was organised by the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) with support from the Local Networks initiative, led by APC and Rhizomatica, through an implementation grant for the operationalisation of the national strategy for community networks in Nigeria.
Creating local income opportunities
For many of the women, this was their first time learning how digital tools can directly support their businesses. The training created an opportunity for them to explore new ways of reaching out to customers, increasing sales, and improving their confidence as entrepreneurs.
For the communities of Itas and Jama’are, the training brought together women involved in different forms of small businesses, including henna artists, retailers, hair plaiting specialists, makers and sellers of products ranging from clothes to candies, and other informal businesses.
Women who previously had no online presence learned how to create a social media account, upload pictures of their products, and communicate more profitably with customers. Some participants also learned how to design simple promotional materials that made their business appear more attractive and trustworthy.
Many participants shared that before the training, they relied only on word-of-mouth referrals and the local market to sell their products. However, after learning how to use social media and digital communication tools, they began to see possibilities for reaching out to customers beyond their immediate environment.
Women in the Itas and Jama'a communities also trained in content design, creation, and photo and video editing.
The training also encouraged women to think differently about their businesses; if they wish, they can look beyond daily survival and use their new skills to grow thriving local enterprises
Following the success of the training sessions in Bauchi, the initiative moved to the Dakwa community in Abuja to build the same vision of offering practical skills that can improve women's businesses and livelihoods. Women in Dakwa, just like in Bauchi, participated actively in hands-on sessions that showed them how to market their products, connect with customers, and use digital tools for business growth.
Fostering a safe space for women
One of the most important achievements of the Digital Micro-Enterprise Training was the confidence it gave to women participants. Many women who initially believed that technology was too difficult for them discovered that they could learn and use digital tools effectively.
The training created a safe, encouraging environment where women could ask questions, practice new skills, and share their own business experience. It also highlighted the importance of digital inclusion and the need to ensure that women in underserved communities are not left behind in the digital economy.
Thanks to its practical approach, in the end, numerous participants left the training with an active business profile, new marketing ideas, and a stronger understanding of how to promote their products and services as well as how to stay safe online. Others gained the confidence to start new businesses or improve existing ones.
Participants left the training with a stronger understanding of how to promote their products and services, and knowledge on how to stay safe online.
The success recorded in Itas, Jama’are and Dakwa demonstrates the importance of investing in women's digital and entrepreneurial skills. As more women gain access to knowledge, tools and opportunities, they become better equipped to support their families, strengthen their communities and contribute to economic development.
The success of the training is not only measured by the 55 women across the three communities who attended, but also by the lasting change it created in their lives. The initiative has opened doors to greater financial independence, stronger local businesses and more resilient communities. Digital Micro-Enterprise Training is more than just a learning activity; it is a pathway to inclusion and sustainable growth for women across Nigeria.
Na gode! (“Thank you” in the Hausa language.)
Harira Abdulrahman Wakili has a degree in International Relations and a diploma in Civil Law and is currently working on a postgraduate diploma in Gender and Strategic Studies at Bayero University. As a staunch advocate for gender and digital rights, she is playing a pivotal role in advancing gender digital inclusion initiatives. Currently, she works as national gender coordinator for the Local Networks (LocNet) Initiative at the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), an organisation in Nigeria that works with local communities to overcome digital marginalisation and supports women's participation in technology spaces through research, capacity building, training, advocacy, support for enabling policies and sensitisation of the public and the media.
This piece was provided by CITAD as part of the microgrants given by the Local Networks initiative for the operationalisation of the National Strategy for Community Networks in Nigeria, supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and UK International Development from the UK Government through its Digital Access Programme. The article was adapted for the "Seeding change" column, which presents the experiences of APC members and partners who received funding through APC’s subgranting programmes or through other APC projects.
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