African Union CIEFFA and ImpactHER Launch 2025 Online Capacity Building Training to Bridge Gender Gap in Digital Skills and STEAM Across Africa

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia · 25 July 2025

The African Union's International Centre for Girls' and Women's Education in Africa (AU CIEFFA), in partnership with ImpactHER, has opened applications for the 2025 edition of its Online Capacity Building Training. The public phase of the training programme is scheduled to begin in September 2025 under the theme "#AfricaEducatesHer – Digital Skills for All: Bridging the Gender Gap in STEAM, Financial Literacy, and Entrepreneurship."

Applications were invited from 25 July 2025, with a deadline of 16 August 2025. The training is fully funded and targets women and men from all 55 African Union Member States and the African diaspora, reflecting the programme's continental ambition and inclusive approach.

Programme Focus and Curriculum

The training seeks to address the challenges facing young women and men in Africa, particularly in the areas of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics), digital literacy, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship. It also aims to enhance the capacity of women teachers to teach digital literacy and STEAM subjects effectively.

The curriculum is structured around three core program areas:

Additionally, the training incorporates a cross-cutting focus on gender equality in and through education, ensuring that all modules are delivered through a gender-responsive lens.

Eligibility and Access

The eligibility criteria are deliberately broad to maximise access:

• Applicants must be African women or men
• Must demonstrate motivation to learn about digital skills, entrepreneurial skills, and financial literacy
• Must show leadership abilities, aspirations, and a commitment to the promotion of girls' and women's education
• Must have access to a good internet connection and a device (laptop, computer, smartphone, or tablet)
• Must have a clear understanding of one of the training's languages: English, French, or Portuguese
• Must hold African citizenship, residing on the continent or anywhere in the world

Benefits and Certification

Participants who complete the training receive several tangible benefits:

• Knowledge acquisition in gender equality in and through education, digital skills, entrepreneurial skills, and financial literacy
• Certification in each program area (Digital Skills, Entrepreneurial Skills, and Financial Literacy), requiring attendance of at least 80% of training courses per program
• Network membership in both the African Union CIEFFA network and the ImpactHER network
• Priority access to fully funded in-person activities organised by AU CIEFFA
• Access to other fully funded online training programmes sponsored by ImpactHER

The 80% attendance requirement for certification ensures that participants engage meaningfully with the content rather than simply enrolling, while the tiered certification system allows participants to progress through different skill areas at their own pace.

The AU CIEFFA Mandate

AU CIEFFA, established by the African Union Commission, is the continent's specialised agency for promoting girls' and women's education. Its mandate aligns with the African Union's Agenda 2063, which prioritises inclusive and quality education for all, and with the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 2016–2025), which identifies gender equality in education as a critical priority.

The #AfricaEducatesHer campaign, under which this training is branded, is AU CIEFFA's flagship advocacy platform. It was launched to mobilise action around keeping girls in school, particularly in contexts where cultural, economic, or security barriers disrupt their education. The campaign has gained renewed urgency in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which disproportionately affected girls' education across Africa.

The ImpactHER Partnership

ImpactHER, the co-hosting organisation, is an Africa-focused non-profit that trains women and girls in digital and entrepreneurial skills. The partnership with AU CIEFFA brings together continental institutional reach with grassroots training expertise, enabling the programme to scale across multiple countries and language groups.

Broader Context: Digital Skills and Gender in Africa

The training programme addresses two intersecting challenges that have significant implications for Africa's demographic dividend:

1. The digital divide: According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), approximately 40% of the African population had access to the internet in 2024, well below the global average of 67%. The gap is wider for women, who are less likely than men to own mobile devices or have internet access in many African countries.

2. Gender disparity in STEAM: Women remain significantly underrepresented in STEM fields across Africa, both in education and employment. The African Union has identified this gap as a barrier to achieving the continent's industrialisation and innovation goals under Agenda 2063.

By combining digital skills training with gender-responsive education principles, the CIEFFA-ImpactHER programme aims to address both challenges simultaneously, equipping participants not only with technical skills but also with the awareness and commitment to advocate for gender equality in their communities and professional environments.

Sources

• African Union CIEFFA, "Online Capacity Building Training 2025," official announcement, July 2025
• Opportunities for Africans, "African Union CIEFFA Online Capacity Building Training 2025 for Emerging Leaders," 25 July 2025
• ImpactHER, official website, impacther.org
• African Union, Agenda 2063 and Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 2016–2025)
• International Telecommunication Union (ITU), ICT statistics for Africa, 2024