UN ECA Initiative Targets Women Digital Entrepreneurs in 4 Countries

In Short

• UN ECA has launched a regional programme to grow women’s digital entrepreneurship in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Namibia, and the Republic of Congo.
• The initiative will train 1,000+ women entrepreneurs and run workshops for 200+ policymakers through 2029.
• It combines skills training with policy and regulatory support to improve access to finance and online markets.

What Happened

UN ECA has launched a new initiative called Fostering Digital Entrepreneurship among Women in Africa. The programme is designed to increase women’s participation in the digital economy, meaning work and business activity that relies on the internet, software, and digital payments.

The four-year plan focuses on structural barriers, including gaps in digital skills, limited access to financial services, and difficulty reaching online customers. UN ECA says the programme will support women entrepreneurs directly, while also helping governments improve the rules and policies that shape local startup ecosystems.

Implementation sits with UN ECA’s Technology, Innovation, Connectivity and Infrastructure Development Division. The programme targets more than 1,000 women entrepreneurs for training in digital literacy, which is basic ability to use online tools safely and effectively, and financial management. It also plans capacity-building sessions for more than 200 policymakers and government officials.

Planned activities include eight national workshops, a regional training programme, an online learning platform, and study tours between the four participating countries. UN ECA also set up a multi-stakeholder coordination taskforce during a virtual kick-off meeting on 18 May 2026 to align delivery with national development priorities.

Why It Matters

Women-led businesses across Africa often face a double constraint, lower access to skills and lower access to finance. This initiative is notable because it tries to tackle both the entrepreneur side and the government side at the same time.

If the country assessments planned for the next six months are done well, they could shape practical, local interventions rather than one-size-fits-all training. For founders and operators, the policy component matters because issues like digital ID rules, e-commerce regulation, and access to payment rails can decide whether a small online business can scale.