About Us
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.
Watch Our Story
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.
Digital Equity for All
Our Mission
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.
Our Vision
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 Core Values
Diversity & Inclusion
As an organization, we value equity, inclusion, and dignity for all and this is evident in the composition of our team.
Climate Resilience
This core value underlines our responsibility to safeguard the environment, protect vulnerable communities, and foster sustainable practices. By embracing climate resilience, we strive to contribute our quota towards building a resilient, sustainable, and harmonious world where every action is a step towards a greener and more secure future. Our initiatives and internal policies are developed with this mindset.
Collaborative partnerships
We actively engage in collaborative partnerships for the achievement of our corporate goals and, by extension, the Sustainable Development Goals.
Transparency & Accountability
We conduct our activities in an open and fair manner, and we communicate effectively with key stakeholders. We are accountable to our donors, partners, government institutions, beneficiaries, employees and other stakeholders. In this regard, we have embedded strong governance systems that ensure adequate oversight and clear separation of power.
Innovation
We deploy an agile approach in the creation of our programmes/initiatives, and we learn from past experiences to build better programmes that solve identified problems for our target beneficiaries.
African Countries
Represented
Women and
Girls Trained
Communities
Impacted
Mobile Devices
Distributed
N3million+ Disbursed as business finance
N10million+ facilitated in trade
Average increase in income for rural female farmers and traders
Our Initiatives
Projects
Our Impact
Read some inspiring stories, and take a deep and exciting dive into our annual journey and impact.
The awards won
by our members &
initiatives.
SDG Digital GameChangers for People Award – Issued by International Telecommunication Union
Impactful NGO of the Year – Issued by The Iconic Brand Awards
Visionary African Women Award – Issued by Lilian Ike Foundation
Visionary Leadership Award – Issued by Inspiring Youth Africa Magazine
Women Empowerment Champion – Issued by CSR Reporters
Gender Equality Award for Women Empowerment in Nigeria – Issued by CSR-in-Action
"This training has really helped me. Now, I know how to get some information when I want to plant my crops using the phone I was given. I also now know that saving is good, and I can even sell my crops online now. Thank you very much."
Amina Mohammed
Beneficiary EquipHer4Growth/Agric Scale-up
"With the digital and financial literacy training I received, the non-interest finance, the internet-enabled mobile device, and access to new markets, in less than 3 months, I have been able to double my income and expand my business. Thank you, Tech Herfrica."
Stell Mfon
Beneficiary, EquipHer4Growth
"Before today, I did not know that there was anything like the internet, Google, or e-commerce. I was even afraid to do anything online. Now, I know how to do things online, and I am not afraid again."
Esther Tanko
Beneficiary, EquipHer4Growth
"Because of Her Local Market, I have supplied over 1,000 yam tubers for planting in less than three weeks. Tech Herfrica also helped me get a one hundred thousand naira loan to invest in more yam tubers so that I have more products to meet the demand"
Emegu Regina
Seller, Her Local Market
"As a widow with five children and no helper, I was always falling sick making 5,000 wraps of Akpu with motar and pestle. But with the machine I got from Tech Herfrica, I can now make 50,000 wraps of Akpu and employ 10 women. They also taught me how to use my phone to sell my goods and now, I am making more sales by myself and on Her Local Market".
Mary Obu
Beneficiary, Digital Financial Literacy Empowerment programme
"Because of Tech Herfrica, I now know how to use WhatsApp to do business and get more customers. Right now, I have employed 5 more women in Kogi State to help me produce more palm oil every week so that we can have more palm oil to sell"
Blessing Elejo
Seller, Her Local Market
"Before now, I only used to make calls with my phone. After the training, I now know how to use WhatsApp, and I now sell thirty crates of eggs a week instead of the five I used to sell before. I still hope to sell more and open my own farm"
Onyiyechi Nzeh
Seller, Her Local Market
“While we are trying to close the digital divide between men and women within the continent, we must also ensure that we close the divide between women in rural areas and women in urban areas. We must create an ecosystem where every woman, regardless of her geographical location, has the required technology to grow and scale her business.”
Founder
Tech Herfrica
“It is amazing that Tech Herfrica has deployed a holistic solution that ties digital inclusion to economic outcomes. So, it's not just about fostering access to the internet and smartphones for them to fully participate in the digital economy; there is also the component of facilitating access to business finance and health insurance to make their lives better. This is profound and innovative.”
Dr. Nichollas Allo
CEO, Visual Earth Group
" George Westerman once said that the ability to envision and drive change is just as important as the ability to work with technology. At Tech Herfrica, we are leveraging technology to drive change for women in rural and underserved communities in Africa. We are working towards creating a more inclusive, prosperous, and equitable future for all Africans"
Esohe Ekunwe
Head, Strategy & Communications, Tech Herfrica
"The Digital Economy must be built on decent work which gives humans dignity"
Guy Ryder
10th ILO Director-General
Our Merchandise
Shop our merchandise. Proceeds are used to implement economic empowerment programmes for women in rural and underserved communities in Africa
Abuja, Nigeria
info@techherfrica.org
+234-704-485-8933