Report on Mobile Technology’s Role in Advancing Sustainable Development Goals through Female Entrepreneurship in Nigeria

Introduction: Fostering Economic Empowerment and Sustainable Development

This report analyzes the instrumental role of mobile technology in enabling Nigerian women to achieve economic independence and contribute to several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By leveraging smartphones, female entrepreneurs are creating sustainable livelihoods, thereby addressing critical development challenges. The case studies presented illustrate a direct correlation between access to mobile technology and progress towards SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).

Advancing SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 1 (No Poverty)

The strategic use of smartphones has facilitated a shift from unemployment to self-employment, directly supporting the objectives of SDG 8. These entrepreneurs are creating decent work for themselves and fostering local economic growth. This, in turn, is a powerful mechanism for poverty alleviation, as outlined in SDG 1.

• Creation of Micro-Enterprises: Women are transforming personal devices into business platforms, establishing careers in sectors such as crafts, fashion, and digital services.
• Market Expansion: Mobile applications like WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram serve as digital showrooms, allowing entrepreneurs to transcend geographical limitations and access a wider customer base.
• Income Generation: The ability to market products and services digitally leads to increased sales and financial independence, providing a direct pathway out of economic hardship.

Promoting SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities)

Mobile technology serves as a critical enabler for SDG 5 by empowering women with economic agency and independence. By creating their own income streams, these women challenge traditional economic dependencies and contribute to reducing gender-based inequalities (SDG 10).

• Economic Independence: Earning a livelihood through digital entrepreneurship provides women with financial autonomy and a greater sense of ownership and pride.
• Overcoming Barriers: Technology helps bypass traditional barriers to market entry and employment that disproportionately affect women.
• Building Agency: The process of building a business, acquiring new skills, and engaging with a broader community fosters self-reliance and personal agency.

Leveraging Technology for SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 9 (Innovation)

The report highlights how smartphones are utilized as tools for lifelong learning and innovation, aligning with SDG 4 and SDG 9. Entrepreneurs are not just selling products but are actively acquiring new skills to enhance their business operations and competitiveness.

1. Access to Lifelong Learning: Platforms such as YouTube, Coursera, and Udemy provide access to quality education and vocational training, enabling women to learn valuable digital skills like graphic design, video editing, and project management.
2. Innovative Business Models: The use of mobile platforms for marketing, client management (Trello, Asana), and skill development represents an innovative application of existing infrastructure (SDG 9).
3. Bridging Information Gaps: Mobile technology bridges gaps in access to skills and information, democratizing opportunities for personal and professional development.

Case Studies in Sustainable Development

Kehinde Fagbemi, Bead Maker

• Contribution to SDGs: Her journey exemplifies progress towards SDG 1 and SDG 8 by creating a sustainable business from bead-making after facing unemployment.
• Methodology: Utilized WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram for marketing and YouTube for acquiring digital design skills, demonstrating a commitment to SDG 4.
• Challenges: Faced practical limitations such as device storage, highlighting infrastructure gaps that can impede progress on SDG 9.

Oyindamola Ogundana, Freelancer

• Contribution to SDGs: Directly advanced SDG 4 by using online learning platforms (Coursera, Udemy) to upskill and access freelance work, contributing to SDG 8.
• Methodology: Leveraged project management tools like Trello and Asana to connect with clients, showcasing innovative work practices (SDG 9).
• Overcoming Obstacles: Her success underscores the importance of education and supportive communities in overcoming technological learning curves, reinforcing principles of SDG 5.

Sade Ogidan, Fashion and Office Supply Entrepreneur

• Contribution to SDGs: Expanded her customer base and business visibility through digital means, contributing to sustainable economic growth (SDG 8).
• Methodology: Employed WhatsApp status and Facebook stories for consistent and low-cost advertising, demonstrating a practical approach to digital entrepreneurship.
• Challenges: The high cost of data was noted as a significant barrier, indicating a challenge to ensuring inclusive access to the digital infrastructure required for SDG 9.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 1: No Poverty

  The article directly addresses this goal by highlighting stories of women who “used tech to escape ‘poverty’” and “escape economic hardship.” The entire premise is about leveraging technology for economic upliftment from a state of poverty or financial instability.

• SDG 4: Quality Education

  This goal is relevant as the women in the article use technology for skill development and continuous learning. The text mentions that Kehinde Fagbemi used YouTube for “learning digital skills such as graphic design and video editing,” and Oyindamola Ogundana used her phone to “access online courses” on platforms like “Coursera, and Udemy” to improve her skills.

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

  The article’s focus is exclusively on the empowerment of “Nigerian women.” It showcases how technology serves as a tool for their economic empowerment, entrepreneurship, and financial independence, thereby promoting gender equality by providing them with opportunities that might otherwise be limited.

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

  This goal is central to the article. The women are not just finding jobs but are creating their own “sustainable careers” through “entrepreneurship” and “self-employment.” Their stories exemplify the creation of decent work and fostering economic resilience and innovation, moving from “passive consumption to active creation.”

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

  The article underscores the importance of technology and digital infrastructure. The women’s success is built upon leveraging “smartphones,” “mobile platforms,” and “mobile internet.” It highlights how access to information and communications technology (ICT) is a critical enabler for economic activity, while also noting challenges like the “high cost of data.”

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 4: Quality Education

  • Target 4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
    
    Explanation: The article provides direct examples of this target in action. Kehinde Fagbemi learned “graphic design and video editing,” and Oyindamola Ogundana used “Coursera, and Udemy” to improve her skills, both of which are technical and relevant skills for entrepreneurship.

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

  • Target 5.b: Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women.
    
    Explanation: The entire article serves as a case study for this target. It details how “several Nigerian women have leveraged smartphones” and how these “mobile platforms have transformed personal devices into instruments of opportunity,” leading to their empowerment.

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

  • Target 8.3: Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises.
    
    Explanation: The stories are centered on “entrepreneurship.” The women are building their own micro or small businesses, such as bead making and fashion/office supply, using technology to foster creativity and innovation in marketing and skills.
  • Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men… and equal pay for work of equal value.
    
    Explanation: The article highlights a path to “full and productive employment” through self-employment. The women are building “sustainable careers” and achieving “financial independence,” which constitutes decent work.

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

  • Target 9.c: Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in the least developed countries.
    
    Explanation: The article demonstrates the positive impact of increased access to ICT, as the women’s businesses are entirely dependent on “smartphones” and “mobile internet.” It also implicitly points to the “affordable access” challenge by mentioning the “high cost of data” as a hurdle.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• For Target 4.4:

  Implied Indicator: The proportion of adults acquiring technical and vocational skills using digital platforms.
  
  Explanation: The article provides qualitative evidence through the stories of women using “YouTube,” “Coursera,” and “Udemy” to learn specific, marketable skills like “graphic design and video editing.” This implies that tracking the use of such platforms for skill acquisition is a valid way to measure progress.

• For Target 5.b:

  Implied Indicator: Proportion of women who own and use a mobile phone/smartphone for economic empowerment. (This aligns with the official indicator 5.b.1: Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex).
  
  Explanation: The article is built on the premise of women using their personal “phone” or “smartphones” to build businesses. The narratives of Kehinde, Oyindamola, and Sade are direct examples of women owning and using mobile technology for economic activity.

• For Target 8.3:

  Implied Indicator: The number of micro- and small enterprises created or sustained through the use of digital technology.
  
  Explanation: The article profiles three distinct entrepreneurs who built their businesses (bead making, freelancing, fashion/office supply) from the ground up using mobile technology. Their stories serve as data points for this indicator.

• For Target 9.c:

  Implied Indicator: Use of the internet for income-generating activities and perceived affordability of data.
  
  Explanation: The article shows that women are using the internet via “WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram” for marketing and business. It also provides an insight into the affordability aspect, a key part of the target, by noting that the “high cost of data” is a significant challenge for entrepreneurs like Sade Ogidan.

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators” to present the findings from analyzing the article.

Source: ainvest.com