For countless women and girls in Nigeria's rural communities, the dream of accessing technology is no longer a distant hope but a tangible reality. This profound transformation has now gained significant continental recognition.
A Continental Accolade for Grassroots Impact
Tech Herfrica has been honoured as the winner of the Best Digital Inclusion Initiative 2025 – Africa at the prestigious MEA Business Awards. This award shines a powerful light on an organisation whose mission is built on a foundational belief: true digital inclusion must lead directly to economic empowerment, personal dignity, and sustainable opportunity for women historically marginalised by the digital divide.
Founded in 2023 by public policy expert Imade Bibowei-Osuobeni, Tech Herfrica was established to directly confront the widening digital and financial gaps plaguing rural women, girls, and youth. In the communities it serves, a lack of access to technology has long meant limited access to markets, vital information, and income-generating opportunities.
"This recognition is not about us as an organisation," stated Bibowei-Osuobeni. "It belongs to the women and girls who show up every day eager to learn, to grow, and to rewrite what is possible for their lives. Digital inclusion is not just about devices or internet access; it is about unlocking opportunity, confidence, and economic resilience."
Core Programmes Driving Tangible Change
The engine of Tech Herfrica's success is its flagship programme, EquipHer4Growth. This initiative delivers practical, hands-on training in digital and financial literacy directly within rural communities. Conducted often in local languages, the sessions are designed for immediate real-world application.
Participants learn to use smartphones and digital tools to manage their finances, access crucial information, promote their businesses, and connect with wider markets. For many, this is their first structured introduction to the digital world. Programme data indicates clear outcomes, including:
- Increased household and business income.
- Markedly improved self-confidence among participants.
- Stronger, more active participation in both local and digital economies.
Breaking Market Access Barriers
Moving beyond training, Tech Herfrica tackles one of the most persistent challenges for rural women entrepreneurs: reaching buyers. Through its HerLocal Market e-commerce platform, women farmers and traders can connect with customers far beyond their immediate villages and towns.
This innovative platform helps reduce post-harvest losses, gives women greater control over pricing, and opens up new revenue streams for those traditionally excluded from formal value chains. The impact is life-changing. One beneficiary, a rural produce trader, summarised the shift: "Before, I sold only to people who passed my stall. Now, my goods reach buyers I have never met. I earn more, and I plan better for my family."
The MEA Business Awards celebrate organisations across the Middle East and Africa that demonstrate exceptional leadership, innovation, and measurable impact. This latest honour bolsters Tech Herfrica's growing international profile, following its receipt of the SDG Digital Game Changers Award (People Category) from the International Telecommunication Union at the United Nations Headquarters in 2023.
