Across Mathare, Dandora and Kayole, women running small businesses are showing what digital inclusion looks like when it actually works. Through Badili Africa’s Wanawake Huru Mtaani programme, delivered under the Africa Centre for Health Systems and Gender Justice’s HerConomics initiative, women combined digital skills with financial capability, chama organising, and enterprise support — using the phones already in their hands to reach customers, manage money, and withstand emergencies.
This piece draws on that experience to make a wider point: digital access is not the same as digital agency. It sets out seven lessons for funders, policymakers, and technology developers on what it takes to turn connectivity into real income, safety, and resilience for women in informal economies.
