The After Access qualitative study on gender and digital technologies examines the lived realities of female adolescents, medical workers, teachers, and entrepreneurs’ digital adoption in Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, and Ethiopia to determine the opportunities and barriers to digital inclusion in each country.
In this report on Nigeria, the study reveals that digital adoption remains shaped by gender expectations, economic access, cultural influences, security concerns and literacy. While women demonstrated adaptable resilience, frequently using phones for income generation, socialising, peer learning, and more, the current conditions are not conducive to inclusive use and access. This is particularly true for women living in rural areas, as well as women with disabilities, both of whom face disproportionate exclusion.
Without the structured integration of infrastructure, data subsidies, gender-sensitive digital adoption policies and other coordinated policy action, Nigerian women will continue to face difficulties in achieving the widespread benefits of digital services for personal and professional life. This paper recommends targeted interventions for each group, including digital literacy programmes, affordable data pricing, local capacity-building, cybersecurity training and more.
