From Classrooms to Careers: What Nigeria's 13,709 Women Taught Us About Workforce Development

In a country where being a young woman with an education is no guarantee of economic independence, the story of 13,709 Nigerian women who underwent the BoostHer Program is a beacon of hope. According to the World Bank's 2025 Gender Data Report, only 10.5% of employed Nigerian women hold formal wage or salaried positions, compared to 17% of their male counterparts. These statistics paint a dire picture of a nation where the gap between education and economic inclusion is not just a skills problem, but a structural one, compounded by access, geography, confidence, and the near-total absence of opportunity.

The BoostHer Program, launched in May 2025 by She Leads Africa (SLA) and Jobberman, was designed to meet women where they were, offering both digital and practical livelihood skills. For women in displacement camps, this included hands-on training in soap making and financial literacy, skills with immediate income-generating potential that required no device, no internet connection, and no prior technical background. This approach acknowledges that the problem is not just a matter of skills, but of access to opportunities that can be leveraged to generate income. By targeting women in displacement camps, the program recognized that these women are often the most underserved and marginalized, and that their economic inclusion is crucial to breaking the cycle of poverty.

For women with digital access, the program offered professional and entrepreneurial training across a range of high-demand fields. This approach acknowledges that digital skills are increasingly essential for economic participation, but also recognizes that not all women have equal access to digital tools and training. By offering both digital and practical skills, the program aims to bridge the gap between education and economic inclusion, and to equip women with the skills they need to succeed in the modern workforce.

For women in displacement camps, the program offered hands-on training in soap making and financial literacy. These skills may seem simple, but they have the potential to generate immediate income, and to provide women with a sense of economic empowerment. Soap making, for example, is a skill that can be learned with minimal investment, and can be used to generate income through sales. Financial literacy, on the other hand, provides women with the knowledge and skills they need to manage their finances effectively, and to make informed decisions about their economic futures.

By January 2026, when Year 1 closed, 13,709 women had been trained through the BoostHer Program. Of these, 2,750 had recorded income improvements through new jobs, promotions, freelance gigs, or product sales, all directly traceable to skills acquired through the program. These numbers are evidence of the power of the program, and to the potential for economic inclusion that it represents.

Given the success of the BoostHer Program, it is likely that the initiative will be scaled up in the coming years. The program's target for Year 2 is 30,000 women, and it is likely that this number will continue to grow in the future. As the program expands, it will be essential to continue to monitor its impact, and to ensure that it remains effective in equipping women with the skills they need to succeed in the modern workforce.

The BoostHer Program represents a new approach to workforce development, one that acknowledges the structural barriers to economic inclusion, and that seeks to address them through a combination of digital and practical skills training. This approach has the potential to be replicated in other contexts, and to provide a model for workforce development programs that seek to address the complex challenges of economic inclusion in low-income settings.