In a country where the gender digital divide has long excluded millions of women from meaningful participation in the tech economy, something remarkable happened in Lagos. Over the course of one ambitious state-led initiative, 5,100 women were trained in software engineering, data science, product design, and other digital skills—many of them from low-income or underserved communities.
This wasn’t just a one-off training with certificates and photo ops. It was a calculated, well-funded intervention targeting a structural imbalance: the underrepresentation of Nigerian women in tech.
What Lagos pulled off here matters for one very simple reason: scale with substance. It’s not just that 5,100 women were trained. It’s that they were trained in high-demand, globally relevant, and immediately employable tech skills—and that many are already using them.
This article breaks down how this happened, who made it work, what the women actually learned, and why the ripple effects could permanently shift Nigeria’s tech ecosystem.
Setting the Stage: Nigeria’s Gender Gap in Tech
Before we talk about solutions, let’s look at the gap. Nigeria’s tech sector is booming. Lagos, in particular, has become the startup capital of Africa. Yet, women remain underrepresented in the most valuable roles—developers, engineers, product managers, and data scientists.
A few realities:
- Only around 20% of tech roles in Nigeria are occupied by women.
- Women make up less than 15% of software engineers across many leading Nigerian tech companies.
- In low-income communities, most girls have zero exposure to digital literacy, let alone coding.
Meanwhile, the demand for tech talent—locally and globally—keeps growing. Startups, fintechs, telcos, and outsourcing companies are all hiring.
So, the problem wasn’t demand. It was access. Women, especially those in Lagos’ informal communities, were cut off—by poverty, lack of training centers, social bias, and the myth that “tech is for men.”
This is the problem Lagos set out to solve.
The Lagos Coding Initiative: Who Was Behind It and Why
In 2023, the Lagos State Government, through the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), partnered with the United States African Development Foundation (USADF) and NerdzFactory to launch a large-scale coding program specifically for women.
The goal? Simple but bold: train 5,000+ women across Lagos in digital skills that lead directly to income generation—whether through jobs, freelancing, or entrepreneurship.
This wasn’t another short-term empowerment campaign with catchy slogans and zero infrastructure. Here’s what made it work:
- Funding: Backed by USADF and state allocations, the program provided free training, laptops, and internet stipends.
- Design: Courses were tailored to market-relevant skills—like front-end development, UI/UX design, and data analysis.
- Delivery: Training was held across multiple locations, including Alimosho, Ikorodu, Epe, and Lagos Island—to reach underserved areas.
- Inclusivity: A key condition for participation was being a woman between 18 and 35 years old, especially those unemployed or underemployed.
The state knew that getting women into tech wouldn’t just solve a skills gap—it would generate jobs, stimulate local innovation, and shift the gender narrative in Nigeria’s economy.
The Training: What 5,100 Women Actually Learned
This wasn’t surface-level tech exposure. Participants went through an intensive 3- to 6-month curriculum, depending on the track, led by instructors from NerdzFactory Foundation and other expert partners.
Front-End Web Development
- HTML, CSS, JavaScript
- Git and GitHub version control
- Website deployment basics
- Introduction to frameworks like React
Product Design / UI-UX
- Design thinking principles
- Figma for wireframing and prototypes
- User research methods
- Accessibility and mobile-first design
Data Science & Analysis
- Excel, SQL basics
- Python for data manipulation
- Tableau and Power BI for visualization
- Data storytelling
Soft Skills & Employability
- CV writing and portfolio development
- Communication and remote work readiness
- Freelancing platforms like Upwork and Fiverr
Each cohort had access to:
- Hands-on projects to build portfolios
- Mock interviews and peer code reviews
- Weekly mentorship check-ins with tech professionals
Graduates didn’t just leave with skills—they left with proof of work.
Inside the Numbers: Who Benefited and How
The real power of this initiative lies in its inclusivity. The “5 100 women in tech” who benefitted from this program were not just from elite academic backgrounds or urban areas. The demographic breakdown tells a very different—and inspiring—story.
Geographic Spread: The participants were drawn from all five divisions of Lagos State: Ikeja, Badagry, Ikorodu, Lagos Island, and Epe. This ensured that rural and peri-urban communities—often left out of tech opportunities—were fully included.
Age Range: The program focused on women aged 18 to 35. But it made deliberate room for those at the edges of that spectrum—young mothers, university dropouts, and older women looking to switch careers or re-enter the workforce.
Educational Background: Over 60% of the women had no prior exposure to programming. Many had OND, SSCE, or no tertiary education at all. Yet, they completed the program and submitted working portfolios on GitHub and Figma. That alone challenges the stereotype that coding is for the highly educated.
Economic Status: A significant portion of participants were either unemployed or earning below the minimum wage before the training. After graduation, many began freelance gigs or got internships and jobs in Lagos-based startups and creative agencies.
This shows the power of well-structured, well-funded interventions. It wasn’t just a numbers game—these women were given the tools to rewrite their economic stories.
Post-Training Outcomes: Jobs, Startups, and Freelance Work
So, what happened after the 5 100 women in tech completed their training? Lagos didn’t leave them hanging with a certificate and a handshake. Here’s what followed:
Employment Placement
Dozens of graduates landed jobs in software development, UI/UX design, and data entry roles across Lagos. Some were hired by the very training organizations that taught them. Others joined local startups, fintech firms, and NGOs with digital teams.
Freelancing
Many women pivoted to freelance work. They set up accounts on Upwork, Fiverr, and Toptal and started getting international gigs in web design, data visualization, and graphic design. Some reported earning their first dollar less than three weeks after completing the program.
Entrepreneurship
Several women used their skills to launch small businesses. One graduate started her own UI/UX agency in Ikorodu. Another launched an online shop using her front-end skills to build a custom e-commerce platform without hiring a developer.
Internships and Advanced Bootcamps
For those not ready for full-time work, the program secured internship placements and subsidized slots in advanced coding bootcamps, like AltSchool Africa and SheCodes.
Lagos didn’t just train them—it actively created opportunities for continuity. The result? A fresh pipeline of women building careers in tech—not as tokens, but as professionals who know their worth.
What’s Next for the 5,100 Women in Tech?
Training is only the first step. Lagos understands this, which is why post-program support remains a core part of the plan. Here’s what’s happening next:
Mentorship Hubs
The state is supporting peer learning circles and monthly mentor check-ins through local tech hubs. This helps reduce dropout rates in the critical first year after training—when many beginners lose momentum.
Advanced Courses and Certifications
Several alumni are being fast-tracked into more specialized courses: full-stack engineering, data engineering, cloud computing, and even DevOps. Subsidies are available for certifications from Google, AWS, and Microsoft.
Policy Push
Lagos is lobbying for a state-wide gender inclusion policy for all public and private tech projects. This could mandate that a minimum percentage of beneficiaries, interns, and hires in funded programs must be women.
Expansion to Other States
With 5,100 success stories in Lagos, states like Ogun, Ekiti, and Rivers are now studying the model. A broader national program—if executed with the same integrity—could place tens of thousands more women into Nigeria’s digital economy.
This isn’t just a trend. It’s a foundation being laid for a gender-balanced tech ecosystem in Africa’s most populous country.
The Big Picture: Why This Matters for Nigeria’s Future
Let’s be clear—5 100 women in tech is not just a celebratory number. It’s a real-time blueprint for inclusive economic growth. Here’s why it matters:
- Tech talent shortage: Nigeria’s startups and companies are desperate for skilled workers. These women help fill that gap—domestically and for global outsourcing.
- Gender equity: The tech industry pays more than most others. Getting women into these roles closes income inequality.
- Youth empowerment: Instead of waiting for jobs that don’t exist, young women are creating value with their laptops and Wi-Fi.
- National competitiveness: As other African countries race to build digital economies, Nigeria can’t afford to leave half its population behind.
These 5,100 women are pioneers. But more than that, they are proof that access—when matched with structure—works. Nigeria doesn’t have a talent problem. It has a distribution problem. And Lagos just showed what it takes to fix it.
What You Can Do If You’re a Woman Interested in Tech
If you’re reading this and wondering whether it’s too late, or whether tech is really for you—understand this: the 5 100 women in tech didn’t start because they had it all figured out. They started with access, effort, and courage.
Here’s how you can follow their path:
- Start learning for free: Platforms like Sololearn, FreeCodeCamp, and W3Schools offer beginner tutorials in coding and design.
- Build one project: Choose something simple—a personal website, a design portfolio, or a basic dashboard. Finish it and publish it.
- Join a community: Follow women-led tech communities in Nigeria like She Code Africa, Women Who Code Lagos, and TechHer.
- Apply for state programs: Keep your eye on opportunities from LSETF, NerdzFactory, and other local partners offering subsidized training.
The digital economy is growing—whether we participate or not. This moment is yours to claim. Just like they did.
