She Code Africa Empowers 150 Edo Women with Digital Skills

She Code Africa, a women-focused tech advocacy organisation, has trained more than 150 women across Edo State in digital skills, marking one of the larg…

She Code Africa, a women-focused tech advocacy organisation, has trained more than 150 women across Edo State in digital skills, marking one of the largest single-state technology empowerment drives in Nigeria's Niger Delta region this year. The programme, delivered in partnership with local technology hubs, targeted unemployed young women and secondary school leavers seeking pathways into the digital economy.

Training Reaches 150 Women in Benin City and Surrounding Areas

The initiative operated across three training centres in Benin City, the capital of Edo State, with additional satellite sessions held in local government areas including Egor and Oredo. Participants received instruction in software development, data analysis, and digital marketing over an eight-week period. She Code Africa coordinated the curriculum while local partners provided venue space and internet connectivity.

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Women aged between 16 and 34 made up the majority of participants. Many arrived with little to no prior coding experience. The programme used a project-based learning model, requiring each participant to build a functional portfolio project before completion. Organisers reported that 87 percent of enrolled participants finished the full course.

Why Digital Skills Matter for Edo's Economy

Local Tech Hubs Provide Training Venues

Three Benin City-based innovation spaces hosted the bulk of instruction. These hubs, which serve as incubation centres for early-stage tech entrepreneurs, opened their doors to the She Code Africa cohort free of charge. The arrangement allowed the programme to minimise overhead costs and redirect resources toward learning materials.

Participants accessed laptop computers provided by She Code Africa, though organisers said device shortages forced them to rotate equipment among groups of two or three learners. Some sessions operated with reduced attendance because of this constraint. She Code Africa has since issued a public call for device donations ahead of planned expansion into Delta State.

Blessing Okonkwo, a 22-year-old from Egor Local Government Area, completed the programme and built a basic e-commerce website as her final project. Before joining, she had spent fourteen months searching for clerical work without success. "I applied everywhere and got nothing back," Okonkwo said in an interview published by She Code Africa's communications team. She now plans to offer freelance web design services to small businesses in her neighbourhood.

Another participant, Adaobi Nwachukwu, used the programme's data analysis module to develop skills she said she hoped to apply in the healthcare sector. Nwachukwu, who studied biology at a polytechnic but never secured formal employment in her field, described the training as a practical alternative to traditional job searching. She Code Africa shared her story as part of a broader media campaign documenting participant outcomes.

She Code Africa Expands Across Nigeria

The Edo State programme represents the organisation's eighth regional training drive since 2021. She Code Africa was founded in Lagos and initially focused on connecting women in the commercial capital with technology career pathways. Over the past three years, the organisation has shifted toward direct skills delivery, establishing partnerships with state governments and international development agencies.

She Code Africa's executive director, who has led the organisation since its inception, has spoken publicly about the need to move beyond awareness-raising toward measurable employment outcomes. The Edo cohort is the first to receive structured post-training support, including_cv review sessions and introductions to hiring managers at technology firms in Lagos and Abuja. She Code Africa said 23 participants from the Edo cohort have received job offers or confirmed freelance contracts since completing the programme.

Challenges and What Comes Next

Organisers acknowledged that placing graduates in remote or freelance roles does not guarantee stable income. Nigeria's technology labour market remains concentrated in Lagos, Abuja, and a handful of other cities, making geographic distance a barrier for Edo-based graduates seeking formal employment. She Code Africa said it is in talks with two Benin City fintech companies about creating junior developer positions locally.

Device shortages and inconsistent power supply at some training centres also affected programme delivery. She Code Africa has submitted a grant application to a Pan-African technology foundation requesting funding for equipment and generator fuel costs. A decision on that application is expected within six weeks.

What Readers Should Watch

The programme's next phase will extend training to women in Delta State, with registration set to open on She Code Africa's website by the end of next month. Readers in Edo State who missed the initial cohort can follow the organisation's social media accounts for announcements about future intake cycles. Whether the 23 confirmed job placements represent a sustainable model or an outlier outcome will become clearer as more graduates complete the programme and enter the labour market over the coming months.