Cybersafe Foundation said it would empower 2,400 girls with basic digital skills to lower the digital gender divide in Nigeria.

Mrs Confidence Staveley, Founder, CyberSafe, said at the official flag off of DigiGirls in Lagos on Wednesday that the empowerment would contribute to ensuring safe and responsible use of the digital and tackle gender-based violence.

DigiGirls is an initiative of Cybersafe Foundation funded by the United Kingdom government through its Foreign Development and Commonwealth Office (FDCO).

Staveley said it would through the economic empowerment of women, support inclusive and sustainable economic recovery post pandemic and increase the number of digitally skilled Nigerians.

She said that it would foster lasting poverty reduction and alleviate tough economic realities for women and girls in Nigeria.

According to her, ultimately, the goal is to close the digital gender gap that is causing unemployment, underemployment of women and girls, especially for the underserved and vulnerable in our communities.

“Across the world there is a vast untapped resource – girls whose education has been cut short or denied altogether, who could be leading efforts to pull their communities out of poverty.”

Those are the words of Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, at Cybersafe Foundation.

Also speaking at the occasion, British High Commissioner in Nigeria, Catriona Laing, said that UK was committed to being a global science and technology partner, working with others to develop solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges, including on digital skills.

Laing said in Nigeria, science, tech and innovation provided opportunities for sustainable economic transformation – not least through the dynamic tech sector.

She said that UK firmly believed in the future growth story of Nigeria’s digital sector as currently the ICT sector contributes about 15 per cent to Nigeria’s GDP, and certainly more than oil.