SkillHer SAW 2026 Wraps Up with Three Practical Capstone Projects

 


After weeks of learning, practical sessions, mentorship and collaboration, the 2026 edition of the SkillHer Skills Acquisition Workshop (SAW) has reached an important milestone, concluding with a capstone showcase that highlighted the creativity, skills and practical abilities of its participants.

With 72 women admitted into the cohort following an application process that attracted 133 applications, SAW 2026 brought together young women to develop relevant digital, entrepreneurial, professional and personal development skills.

Implemented with support from Tech Impact Club Africa (TIC Africa) through the Future Africa Tech Leaders Campaign (FATLC) 2026 Grant, the programme combined virtual and physical learning sessions, practical exercises, mentorship and opportunities for participants to apply their knowledge.

Learning, Mentorship and Growth

SAW 2026 covered seven learning areas, including Research Fundamentals & Project Management; Social Media, Graphics Design & Content Creation; Finance, Business and Organisation Structuring; Web Development & Artificial Intelligence; Sales, Marketing and Business Growth; Digital Security & Safety; and Communication, Leadership & Personal Development.

Beyond the training sessions, the programme incorporated a track-based mentorship structure, with mentors assigned to the different learning tracks. This provided participants with access to guidance relevant to their areas of learning, opportunities to receive feedback, discuss practical challenges and gain insights from people with experience in their respective fields.

The mentorship component complemented the practical learning experience, reinforcing the importance of having guidance and support while developing new skills and exploring professional and entrepreneurial opportunities.

Three Capstone Groups, Three Practical Projects

A major highlight of the programme was the capstone showcase, where participants worked in three groups to develop and present projects demonstrating how they could apply their newly acquired skills.

1. Research Fundamentals & Project Management: Know Your Fertility – Awareness, Early Action and Reproductive Health

The group developed a reproductive health education intervention aimed at improving fertility awareness among young people of reproductive age. The project addressed fertility misconceptions, warning signs, male and female fertility factors, and the importance of early care-seeking.

The team delivered an initial virtual awareness session on 16 October 2026, reaching approximately 20 women, and proposed a subsequent physical outreach to NYSC corps members in Ibadan North II.

2. Social Media, Graphics Design & Content Creation + Finance, Business and Organisation Structuring: She Learned. She Rose.

This group developed a visibility campaign designed to attract more women to SkillHer. The campaign featured a promotional flyer, a participant testimonial video and an AI-generated short video, built around the message that completing SAW is not the end of a woman's learning journey.

The campaign also featured a testimonial from Ajibona Hikmat, Founder of Foyin Farm, who shared how the programme had helped her improve her business structure, social media engagement and application of entrepreneurial knowledge.

3. Web Development & Artificial Intelligence + Sales, Marketing and Business Growth: SkillHer SAW Community Showcase

The third group developed a public-facing website to showcase the skills, interests and profiles of members of the SkillHer SAW community.

The platform features searchable member profiles, learning track filters, skills and interest tags, and links to professional and social media profiles. Built collaboratively by seven participants across three learning tracks, the website was successfully deployed and is accessible online.

Explore the platform: https://skillhersaw-community.netlify.app

Together, the three projects demonstrated how participants could combine their learning to address practical challenges, communicate ideas and create useful solutions.

Extending Learning Beyond the Workshop

Another important component of SAW 2026 was SkillHer Coach, SkillHer's AI-powered learning and coaching platform. With support from TIC Africa, the platform underwent further development, with programme participants contributing to user acceptance testing and providing feedback to inform improvements.

SkillHer Coach reflects SkillHer's commitment to making learning support more accessible and helping women continue their learning journeys beyond scheduled training sessions.

Explore SkillHer Coach: www.skillhercoach.com

A Thank You to Our Partners and Participants

We are grateful to Tech Impact Club Africa (TIC Africa) for supporting SAW 2026 through the Future Africa Tech Leaders Campaign Grant and contributing to our efforts to expand access to practical skills development and technology-enabled learning for women.

We also appreciate our facilitators, mentors, volunteers and everyone who contributed their time, knowledge and expertise to making the programme possible.

To the 72 women who participated in this year's cohort, congratulations on reaching this milestone. Thank you for showing up, learning, collaborating and embracing the opportunity to grow.

A New Chapter Begins

As SAW 2026 comes to a close, we celebrate not only the skills acquired but also the projects developed, connections established and possibilities explored.

At SkillHer, we believe that skills development should open doors to practical opportunities, meaningful networks and continued growth. We remain committed to creating spaces where women can learn, build, connect and thrive.

The workshop may have concluded, but the learning, connections and possibilities it created continue.

Here's to the women who learned, built, collaborated and took another step towards their aspirations.


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