The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UN ECA) has launched a new regional project aimed at strengthening women’s participation in the digital economy across Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Namibia, and the Republic of Congo.

The initiative titled ‘Fostering Digital Entrepreneurship among Women in Africa’ seeks to address persistent structural barriers that limit women’s access to digital skills, financial services, and online markets.

At the same time, it aims to bridge existing gaps in policy and regulatory environments. It will help governments create more inclusive and gender-responsive policy and regulatory frameworks to support digital entrepreneurship.

Implemented through UN ECA’s Technology, Innovation, Connectivity and Infrastructure Development Division (TICID), the initiative will adopt a dual-track approach that simultaneously empowers women entrepreneurs with practical skills, while strengthening the capacity of policymakers to design inclusive and gender-responsive digital ecosystems.

Over the next for years, more than 1,000 women entrepreneurs are expected to benefit from digital literacy and financial management training. 

The project will also engage more than 200 policymakers and government officials through capacity-building workshops and regional policy dialogue. 

Key activities

Across the four participating countries, activities will include eight national workshops; a regional training programme; a dedicated online learning module; and targeted study tours designed to strengthen practical skills, policy frameworks, and regional knowledge exchange.

A key feature of the initiative was the establishment of a multi-stakeholder coordination taskforce during a virtual kick-off meeting held on 18 May 2026. 

The taskforce will ensure coordinated implementation, knowledge-sharing, and alignment with national priorities across all participating countries, in close collaboration with implementing UN entities and national counterparts.

During a subsequent technical follow-up meeting to discuss the way forward, the taskforce emphasised the importance tailoring interventions to the specific socio-economic realities of each country, while integrating gender and youth considerations throughout implementation. 

As the project’s first priority, they identified a comprehensive assessment study in each participating country over the next six months.

Scheduled to run through 2029, the initiative forms part of part of UN ECA’s broader efforts to promote inclusive digital transformation across the continent. 

By supporting women entrepreneurs and equipping then with tools to participate more fully in the digital economy and supporting governments to strengthen enabling policy environments, the initiative aims to contribute to advance inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development across the continent.