The first phase will train 50 women from government and government-linked institutions, before widening across Eswatini and then the continent.
Pilot status
Eswatini has been selected as the African pilot country for the She Powers Africa Digital Academy, a UAE-backed digital training programme targeting women in technology. The academy will focus on women in public institutions, where digital skills can support faster service delivery and stronger implementation capacity.
The launch links two policy aims. Eswatini wants deeper digital capability in the public sector. The UAE is building a continental platform for women’s digital training. Media reports describe the initiative as a pioneering partnership, but the UAE has previously launched major digital skills collaborations with African countries, such as the “5 Million Ethiopian Coders” programme with Ethiopia.
The programme was unveiled during a virtual event attended by senior officials from Eswatini and the UAE. The initiative follows a memorandum of understanding signed between Eswatini and the UAE during the 2025 United Nations General Assembly.
From cohort to rollout
The opening cohort will include 50 women. That group will act as the proof of concept for a broader national rollout. After that, the academy is expected to expand to other African markets.
That structure matters for investors and policy planners. A small pilot lowers execution risk. It also gives both governments a chance to test course design, delivery channels and institutional demand. If the model works, it could create a repeatable template for female-focused digital capacity building across Africa.
Eswatini has a broader digital reform agenda, including the Digital Eswatini Project, which aims to strengthen digital capabilities in the public sector. MTN Eswatini and the Ministry of ICT are involved in various digital initiatives to improve services and connectivity, but specific joint platforms targeting healthcare, agriculture and the creative economy as one programme are not clearly documented.
That wider backdrop gives the academy added relevance. It suggests a policy environment that is gradually aligning skills, infrastructure and service delivery. For the private sector, that combination can support future demand for tech services, outsourcing, training partnerships and public-sector software solutions.
Investor signal
The immediate commercial impact will be modest. However, the strategic value is clearer. A women-led digital skills pipeline can strengthen administrative efficiency and widen the talent base for future digital projects.
Eswatini’s communications sector is regulated by the Eswatini Communications Commission (ESCCOM), which provides regulatory oversight for telecommunications and related services. Meanwhile, the World Bank describes Eswatini as a small, landlocked country whose economy is driven by services and manufacturing, but does not explicitly state that services make up just over half of output. That profile points to a market where incremental gains in digital capability can have an outsized effect.
Investors should watch whether the pilot converts into repeat enrolment, wider institutional uptake and new training partnerships. If it does, Eswatini could become a useful early case for scalable digital skills investment in Southern Africa.
