Skillher Blog

  Every business has a story. Behind every product or service is a woman with an idea, a passion, and the courage to start something of her own. Last week, we invited entrepreneurs in the SkillHer community to take the  SkillHer Hot Seat  and share their founder stories. We wanted to hear what inspired them to start, the challenges they've faced, and the lessons they've learnt along the way. From hairmaking and fashion to food production, resin art, and research writing, here are the stories of six women building businesses of their own. 1. Oyindamola – Hair Business Oyindamola started her small hair business out of her interest in hair and her desire to build something of her own. Although she's still figuring things out, she's learning about attracting customers and growing her business along the way. Her journey hasn't been the easiest, but as she puts it,  "We move!"   2. Boss Lady – Sisters Tombrown What started as something Boss Lady and her sister e...

  Over 70 young women. Different backgrounds, interests and aspirations. One shared space to learn, connect and grow. That is SkillHer SAW 2026 . The SkillHer Skills Acquisition Workshop brings young women together to develop practical skills, explore new opportunities and build the confidence to turn ideas into action. This year's programme is supported by Tech Impact Club Africa (TIC Africa)  which is also supporting the continued development and testing of SkillHer Coach, our AI-powered learning companion. But SAW is more than a series of training sessions. It is a space where women are learning new skills, asking questions, collaborating and discovering new possibilities. Learning Skills for Today’s Opportunities The SAW curriculum combines digital, entrepreneurial and personal development skills, giving participants a diverse set of tools they can apply to their careers, businesses and personal projects. Research & Project Management Through Research & Project Man...

Every girl deserves the opportunity to learn, grow, find her voice and shape her future. Yet, for many girls, access to quality education, opportunities, supportive networks and the freedom to make choices about their lives remains a challenge. The International Day of the Girl Child, observed every October 11, reminds us of the importance of investing in girls, amplifying their voices and creating environments where they can reach their full potential. At SkillHer, we believe that empowering women begins with creating opportunities for girls to discover their abilities, build confidence and develop the skills they need to navigate an evolving world. This means going beyond conversations about equal opportunities to actively creating them. It means making education and digital skills more accessible, encouraging girls to explore new possibilities, providing mentorship and building communities where they feel supported to pursue their ambitions. We also recognise that empowerment is not...

  We talk a lot about the work. The early mornings. The late nights. The applications. The learning. The building. The showing up even when you don't feel ready. We celebrate the woman who keeps going but rarely the woman who knows when to pause.  We often treat rest as something we earn after everything is done. After the deadline. After the next milestone. After the programme. After the money comes in. After we have finally “made it.” But there will almost always be another deadline. Another goal. Another opportunity. Another thing that needs your attention. So what if rest isn't what happens after the work? What if rest is part of the work? Because growth requires more than effort. It requires recovery too. There are seasons when pushing forward is necessary. And there are seasons when the most productive thing you can do is step back, breathe, reflect and allow yourself to recover. Not because you are lazy. Not because you have lost your ambition. But because you are hum...

Every journey starts somewhere. Sometimes, you know exactly where you are going. Other times, you simply know that you are ready to move, even if you are still figuring out the destination. And sometimes, what you need most is a good coach. Someone to help you pause, ask the right questions, see things differently and find your next step. That was the idea behind SkillHer Coach . We wanted to create an AI-powered system where women could access personalised support around some of the things that shape everyday life: wellness, career and business . A coach they could return to when they had a question, needed to think something through, or simply wanted a little guidance along the way. The first version was intentionally simple. At its heart was the conversation: you came in, chose an area of interest and started talking with the Coach. And that was a meaningful place to begin. But the more we thought about the women we were building for, the more we realised that a conversation, howeve...

The SkillHer Skills Acquisition Workshop (SAW) 2026 is officially underway! This year’s programme marks an exciting new chapter for SkillHer as we combine practical skills development with technology to create a more engaging and accessible learning experience for women. We are grateful to be implementing this year’s programme with the support of Tech Impact Club Africa (TIC Africa) . This partnership is supporting us to strengthen the SAW programme while also investing in the upgrade of SkillHer Coach , our AI-powered mobile learning and coaching platform. Through this support, we are working to make SkillHer Coach an even more useful companion for participants—supporting learning, access to resources, engagement, and ongoing development beyond the classroom. Preparing Our Facilitators A strong learning experience begins with well-prepared facilitators. As part of the SAW 2026 preparation, our facilitators participated in both virtual and physical training sessions designed to prepa...