Digital literacy for women vital to achieving Nigeria’s $1tn economy, says UN rep
A United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) representative in Nigeria, Esther Eghobamien-Mshelia, has said expanding digital inclusion and artificial intelligence (AI) education for women and girls is essential to achieving President Bola Tinubu’s vision of building a $1 trillion economy.
Speaking on Thursday at the AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, Switzerland, Eghobamien-Mshelia said empowering women and girls, particularly at the grassroots, with digital and AI skills would unlock innovation, drive entrepreneurship and accelerate economic growth.
She said the annual summit, launched in 2017, has become a leading global platform where governments, researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs, international organisations and civil society collaborate to demonstrate practical applications of artificial intelligence.
Eghobamien-Mshelia said she was honoured to represent the interests of women and girls, particularly from Africa and emerging economies such as Nigeria, in discussions on the future of AI governance.
According to her, Nigeria can make significant progress towards its economic ambitions by investing in digital literacy and ensuring women are not left behind in the country’s technological transformation.
She linked the initiative to President Tinubu’s plan to grow Nigeria into a $1 trillion economy, saying greater participation of women in the digital economy would strengthen innovation and enterprise.
“This will contribute to realising President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision and target of a $1 trillion economy for Nigeria and expand the space for digital inclusion for women and girls across the grassroots,” she said.
She added that digital empowerment would help connect innovators with those seeking solutions to real-world challenges while strengthening entrepreneurship, which she described as a key driver of economic development.
