Participants during SheConnects EmpowerHer Digital Accelerator Trainer of Trainers workshop. [Courtesy]
Women running small businesses could reach more customers, manage their finances better and increase their income through digital tools under a new programme targeting traders with limited access to technology.
This comes after the Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet), a multi-stakeholder think tank for ICT policy and regulation, began training 100 women in Nairobi, Nyandarua, and Tana River counties in digital skills to help them use technology to grow their businesses and improve their livelihoods.
The three-day SheConnects EmpowerHer Digital Accelerator Trainer of Trainers workshop aims to equip participants with skills they will pass on to other women in their communities.
Nairobi County Coordinator for the EmpowerHer project Elizabeth Namarome said the programme seeks to help women move beyond using the internet mainly for communication and entertainment.
“Someone in Nairobi can be using the internet for business, but someone in rural places may just be scrolling. They are not seeing the possibilities that the internet can open for them,” Namarame said.
The training covers digital literacy, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, social media marketing and cyber hygiene. It also seeks to address the gap between having access to technology and knowing how to use it effectively.
The training follows a cascading model in which the 100 trainers will each train 50 women, potentially reaching about 5,000 women.