Tech Herfrica is a social impact organization that is striving to bridge the digital divide and also contributing to breaking the cycle of poverty for women and girls in rural African communities through digital and financial inclusion. Our innovative, localized and evidence-based approach to bridging the digital divide, leading to improved digital literacy, access to, and meaningful use of smartphones, as well as increased income for rural women, earned us the 2023 SDG Digital Game Changers Award in the People Category, issued by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
By providing farmers and traders, especially women, in rural Africa with the information, digital tools, smartphones, digital and financial literacy training, access to financial services, an e-commerce platform, and other resources they need to enhance their farming and business activities and sell more of their products at competitive market prices, we are reducing poverty, reducing post-harvest waste, contributing to food security, promoting social inclusion, and advancing digital equity.
Our initiatives aim to enhance women’s agency, empowering them to make informed decisions, actively contribute to program design, articulate their needs, and participate in their socio-economic development.
Our activities cater to more than just women; in a proactive approach to bridging the digital divide, we have also crafted innovative programs tailored for girls and young students in rural areas, equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and tools to thrive in the digital economy. To date, our contributions have enhanced digital and financial literacy and positively impacted the income of more than 4,000 rural women and girls in Nigeria. Despite the hurdles, we are pursuing the ambitious goal of impacting 1 million rural women and girls across Africa by 2030.
Due to the ongoing digital divide, millions of female farmers and traders across the continent are unable to access essential information on market prices, new markets, weather forecasts, agricultural methods, government policies, etc. As a result, they are unable to plan properly, make informed decisions, or adjust to changing circumstances, which leaves them trapped in a cycle of poverty.
With our innovative approach, we have connected the key elements of digital and financial inclusion to economic prosperity for beneficiaries. Our work has increased digital and financial knowledge and skills for over 80% of our beneficiaries and improved their income by 56% on average.
In addition to co-creating an e-commerce solution, herlocalmarket, that connects rural female farmers and traders to local and international buyers so that they can sell more of their products at fair prices, leading to reduced income inequalities and reduced food waste, we provide access to local technology for farmers and traders to increase production as well as conduct digital financial literacy training in indigenous languages for women and girls in rural communities so that they are equipped with the knowledge and skills required to adopt new technologies and access financial services.
We also facilitate access to internet-enabled mobile devices, health insurance, business finance, supply credit, and long-term savings plans so that our female farmers and traders can have the tools they need to leverage digital technology, access financial services to grow their businesses, and live financially stable and healthy lives.
To equip rural African women and girls with the knowledge, skills, and tools to boost their literacy and income leveraging technology, finance, and innovative programmes.
We are working towards a continent where women and girls in rural and underserved communities in Africa are enabled to prosper in the digital economy
Our flagship project is the provision of an e-commerce web application, herlocalmarket.com, that directly connects female sellers in rural and underserved communities to domestic & international buyers for quality food items at over 45% cheaper than city markets.
Our model cuts out middle man, price padding as well as the possibility of adulteration & quality reduction along the supply chain, while also facilitating seamless delivery from sellers to buyers. Sellers are trained and equipped with smart devices to carry out e-commerce, while our team carries out marketing of the products, fosters delivery, manages the web application and serves as the bridge for quality assurance and issue resolution between sellers and buyers.
We were passing through a village in Nigeria when we stopped by to buy fresh farm produce from a seller along the road. Our purchase of about 80,000 naira (100 USD) made her cry and we made a surprising discovery about her life and what we needed to do to help her increase her income. Watch the video to find out more.
Read some inspiring stories, and take a deep and exciting dive into our annual journey and impact.
Shop our merchandise. Proceeds are used to implement economic empowerment programmes for women in rural and underserved communities in Africa
Join us in our endeavour to continually make impact as we leverage the power of technology to bridge the digital divides for African women and girls.
Be a part of our work as we deploy a strategic approach to helping women in rural communities scale up their living, businesses, and productivity.
