The Read and Earn Federation for UNESCO (UNESCO REF) and the Risqat Societal Development Foundation (RSD Foundation) have partnered to roll out a digital skills empowerment programme for women serving in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) who are living with disabilities.
The initiative, known as The VOICE Initiative, is designed to equip women with disabilities with practical digital and artificial intelligence (AI) skills to improve their employability, promote economic inclusion and expand their participation in the digital economy.
Speaking on the partnership, Founder of RSD Foundation, Madam Risqat Oluwatoyin Jimoh, said the initiative was aimed at ensuring that women with disabilities were not excluded from opportunities in the rapidly evolving digital economy.
She said every young Nigerian woman deserved equal opportunities to contribute to national development, regardless of her physical circumstances.
‘By standing with UNESCO REF behind The VOICE Initiative, we are making sure that women corps members living with disabilities are not spectators of the digital age, but its builders,’ she said.
Jimoh added that the partnership represented the foundation’s commitment to building a society where talent, rather than circumstances, determined how far young women could go.
Under the partnership, RSD Foundation will support the identification, enrolment and sustained participation of eligible corps members, while UNESCO REF will provide the curriculum, certification and programme delivery.
The VOICE Initiative, which stands for Visionary, Outcomes-Driven AI for Inclusion, Capacity for Empowerment, is a professional advancement programme for women with disabilities in Nigeria and Africa.
Its first course, AI Innovation and Digital Enterprise (AIDE), is fully funded under the UNESCO REF Educational Financial Facility Scheme (EFFS).
Osun State is the first pilot state for the programme in Nigeria, with its launch on October 1, 2026, as part of activities marking the country’s Independence Day celebration.
Also speaking, President of UNESCO REF, Prince Abdulsalami Ladigbolu-Oranmiyan, in a statement on Monday, described the partnership as a significant step towards expanding access to digital education and economic opportunities for women with disabilities.
He said the initiative was conceived to ensure that women were adequately equipped to participate in the emerging digital economy, regardless of their circumstances.
Ladigbolu-Oranmiyan called on other institutions and organisations to support the initiative, stressing the importance of inclusive partnerships in expanding opportunities for underserved groups.
The partnership is expected to contribute to the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goals 4, 5, 8 and 10, which focus on quality education, gender equality, decent work and reduced inequalities.
RSD Foundation is a non-governmental organisation committed to advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through initiatives that promote inclusion, widen opportunities and ensure that no one is left behind.