In today's digital era, there is a growing emphasis on increasing female participation in entrepreneurship to bridge the digital literacy gap. More women are making strides in technology, entrepreneurship, and e-commerce as they break down barriers.

The tech industry's male-dominated landscape has left little room for women to excel and created a shortage of technical professionals.
This widening gap in digital literacy among low-income female entrepreneurs necessitates more experts due to technological advancements.

Digital literacy enhances access to education and learning opportunities, empowering individuals to leverage online resources and educational platforms for self-improvement and personal growth. To address this need, The Wivesroundtable Foundation created the Digital Academy for Female Entrepreneurs (D.A.F.E) project, with funding from The Coca-Cola Foundation (TCCF).

The recently concluded D.A.F.E cohort focused on fostering gender inclusivity and economic advancement for women in Lagos State through digital literacy training. Its curriculum covered social media basics, strategies, and digital marketing. The initiative empowered women to amplify their voices, challenge stereotypes, and drive societal change using social media, blogging, and digital content creation.

The project targeted female entrepreneurs aged 18 to 60 in Lagos State with the sole purpose of economically empowering over 500 women in Surulere, Lagos, promoting digital training, and establishing a learning assistance framework.
Celebrating the successful completion of its latest cohort, the 12-week-long program ran from March 2nd to May 31st, 2023. It brought together prominent members of commercial, entrepreneurial, and charitable communities to acknowledge the achievements of these female entrepreneurs and showcase TCCF's commitment to economic progress and gender inclusion.

The Coca-Cola Foundation continues to support women and youth empowerment initiatives through grants to non-profit organizations for social impact programs. The D.A.F.E project focuses on women and youth empowerment in Africa's economic development and sustainability in a bid to increase women's interest in technology, enable digital tool usage, reduce inequality, and boost income.

The closing ceremony recognized the success stories of D.A.F.E beneficiaries and provided a platform for participants to share their experiences and creative thinking. Many showcased their innovative business ideas and digital products or services, demonstrating technology's transformative influence on women-owned enterprises.

Throughout the training, 528 women entrepreneurs participated in two-day physical and virtual classes, each supported by dedicated staff to aid effective learning. By the program's end, 40% of previously digitally illiterate participants became comfortable in the digital space, with 60% already recording online sales and expanding their digital knowledge.
Amaka Chibuzo-Obi, Founder/Program Director of the Wivesroundtable Foundation, expressed gratitude for TCCF's support in making a meaningful impact in women's lives. She emphasized the importance of easy-to-understand technological concepts and digital literacy for middle-aged women to increase sales, grow businesses, and improve living standards.

To successfully kickstart the project, the Wivesroundtable Foundation utilized various channels to target women, including social media, community leaders, religious places, women's associations, and structured markets for information dissemination.
The partnership between the Wivesroundtable Foundation and The Coca-Cola Foundation marks a crucial step towards enhancing the quality of life of low-income female entrepreneurs through digital literacy.

The Coca-Cola Foundation continues to support transformative ideas and institutions that address complex global challenges and that leave a measurable and lasting impact. The Foundation’s giving is focused on sustainable access to safe water, climate resilience and disaster risk preparedness and response, circular economy, economic empowerment, and causes impacting its hometown community. Since its inception in 1984, The Coca-Cola Foundation has awarded grants of over $1.5 billion in service of its mandate to strengthen communities across the world.