DIGITAL CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION FOR GIRLS (DICIG)

Introduction 

Empowering girls to have access to digital skills is one way of addressing the gender digital divide. But bridging the digital divide should not just be an end in itself. It should contribute to the greater empowerment of women to overcome gender marginalization. In particular, digital skills should be the tools to create jobs for women and girls, thus reducing unemployment amongst women and reducing poverty as well.  In other words, this should be a means for the de-feminisation of poverty in the Nigeria. 

Objectives 

The digital creativity and innovation for girls (DICIG) is specifically designed to contribute in doing this. Its specific objectives include:

  1. Provide digital skills training for 200 girls (100 per year)
  2. To produce 80 digital entrepreneurs (40 per year)
  3. Create 160 new digital jobs for girls (80 per year)

Target Beneficiaries 

  1. Beneficiaries must be girls between the ages of 18-30
  2. They must have a minimum of secondary school education 
  3. Must be capable of communicating in both written and oral English 
  4. Must be interested in building and running their business 
  5. Participants must be based either in Kano, Bauchi or Gombe States. In addition, participants should ordinarily be resident in either Azare, Gombe or Kano or can make arrangement to accommodate themselves in any of these three places for the duration of the programme.

Total Programme Duration: 10 months 

Programme Phases 

The programme will be conducted in phases. There are four phases as follows:

  1. Phase 1: Basis Digital skills (one month): participants will undergo a 20-hour basic digital literary consisting of Introduction to Windows, Microsoft word, Excel, PowerPoint and internet application.  
  2. Phase 2: advance Digital Skills (one Month): participants will understand another 30-hour module of advance digital skills.
  3. Phase 3: business ideation (2 months}
    1. Introduction to business regulatory environment 
    2. Tech ideas: moving from concept to practice
    3. Conceptualizing the value chain of the business 
    4. Produce/service specification
    5. Understanding the market and client base building  
    6.  Digital marketing
    7. Labour and skills need for the business
    8. Capital requirements and capital mobilizing strategies
    9. Business Sustainability issues 
    10. ICTs in Business 
  4. Phase 4: business development support services (6moths)
    1. Enable cohort to register their business and meet all corporate requirements 
    2. Service/good packaging and branding 
    3.  Developing Exit Plans 
  5. Phase 5: Transition to market (one month): This period is for implementing exit plan and getting out to the real world of business 

Content 

Digital Literacy 

  1. Computer appreciation
  2. Word processing 
  3. Introduction to excel 
  4. PowerPoint 
  5. Internet utilization 

Advanced 

  1. Coding 
  2. Website design 
  3. Graphics design 
  4. Mobile apps development 

 

Benefit to Participants 

  • Phase 1 Benefits
      1. Free digital literacy training 
      2. Certificate of participation 
    1. Phase 2 Benefits 
      1. Free advance training 
      2. Transport allowance for attending the training 
      3. Certificate of attendance 
    2. Phase 3 Benefits
      1. Free business development training 
      2. Free business consulting clinics 
      3. Transport support to attendance 
      4. Access to free office support 
      5.  Free business registration 
  • Mentoring
    1. Phase 4 Benefits
      1. Possible of business support 
      2. Promoted to business accelerator 
      3. Free marketing services of their goods/services
  • Free Co-working spaces to entrepreneurs and professionals building innovative businesses and projects 

Excepted Outcomes 

Interested girls who meet the criteria above are invited to apply. Applicants should include photocopies of their credentials, indication of interest of participation letter. Application should be submitted on or before June 11, 2022. 

Selection Processes

An advert will be prepared, invited interest and qualified potential participants to apply to enrol. Selected participants will undergo an orientation programme of one day during which the nature of the programme would be fully explained to them.

The second level of selection is at the end of the digital basic skills training: here participants will be selected on the basis of the following criteria:

  1. Their performance at the digital skills training phase
  2. Their interest to continue
  3. Preparation and submit of a business idea