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DMSI Tackles Unemployment by Giving Young Women a Voice in the Digital Economy
Digital Marketing Skill Institute (DMSI) a global digital marketing edutech company that uses digital technologies to accelerate the development of digital marketing talents while matching them with organizations globally either as employees or entrepreneurs (freelancer or agency) has partnered with the Challenge Fund For Youth Employment (CFYE) which is funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs to launch “Digital Marketing Women Employability and Entrepreneurship Programme (DM-WEEP)”, a programme designed to train, match and create digital marketing jobs for 4,500 women.
The programme which is co-funded by Dutch Government aims to empower young women in Nigeria within the ages of 20-35 is set to boost the employability of these women with digital marketing and they will pay nothing upfront for the training until they are employed and earning a decent income.
Speaking on this development, Founder of Digital Marketing Skill Institute, Tobi Asehinde revealed that the initiative is in line with the organization’s mission to help and empower 1 million people by 2030 to start, grow and scale wildly profitable businesses and careers using digital marketing.
He further reviewed that the global market for Digital Marketing is estimated at US$350 Billion and male dominated however, with this programme we are giving women a voice and share in digital marketing industry that is male dominated.
“Digital marketing is one of the most desired industries where many women are interested in building a career but then, some of them are held back by the financial cost that is required to learn the skill. Digital Marketing Women Employability and Entrepreneurship Programme will be bridging that gap and empower many Nigerian women to pursue their dreams and build a global digital marketing career,” he stated.
Global figures show a startling economic disparity with women losing jobs at almost twice the rate of men and leaving over 47 million more women below the poverty line. And of course, due to the responsibilities that come with being pregnant or a nursing mother, some young women have had to lose their job or drop their career pursuit for the sake of being available to attend to taking care of their home. With a career in digital marketing, they won’t have to drop their ambitions because they are pregnant or nursing a baby, as it allows for flexible working conditions.
According to a research released at the beginning of the year by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), about 35.2% of women in the country are unemployed. The research also revealed that women account for only 43.3% of the working population in Nigeria.
At the same time, businesses have been forced to adopt digital technologies and channels to promote and operate their businesses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has resulted in an accelerated growth in demand for people with digital skills. There is an opportunity to match and create jobs here by training young people in digital marketing to assist these businesses to grow and thrive in a digital economy.
Mr. Asehinde said we have built an education technology solution to accelerate learning of digital skills and built 2 tech platforms called Accredital and Wizlancer to match learners to employment and self-employment opportunities from businesses around the world. We are really focused on not just training young people but connecting them to opportunities to earn a decent income.
Speaking on the initiative, the project manager Christiana Olawumi expressed her gratitude to Digital Marketing Skill Institute and Challenge Fund For Youth Employment for collaborating to help young women like herself meet their personal and career aspirations in the new digital economy.
In her words, “when we reduce the rate of unemployment in the country, there will be a reduction in community vices and our society will be a safe place to live”.
She went further to show her enthusiasm as she spoke about how much effort the project team has put in place to make sure that the programme is a success.
To ensure that the project has maximum impact and reaches women interested in digital marketing, Digital Marketing Skill Institute collaborated with Challenge Fund For Youth Employment, which is funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and seeks to create a prosperous future for young women across Nigeria.
Mr. Asehinde emphasized that such collaborations with CFYE are critical to the success of tackling unemployment in Nigeria which is currently at 33%, and re-emphasized DMSI commitment to partner with more governmental bodies, public/private companies, Foundations, Non Government Organizations (NGO’s) to achieve its goal of empowering and securing a better future for Young Women in the Digital Economy.
“Digital Marketing Women Employability and Entrepreneurship Programme” is one of the many strategies we are using to achieve our mission.
MTN Nigeria is set to reignite the dreams of creatives with the launch of its Best of the Streets talent competition for the 2025 edition. This initiative aims to discover and nurture Nigeria’s next generation of creative talent.
L-R: Mobolaji Ogunlende, Honourable Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Lagos State; Dapo “D’Banj” Oyebanjo, Singer and Founder of C.R.E.A.M platform; Dandizzy, Rapper and Singer; A’isha Umar Mumuni, Chief Digital Officer, MTN Nigeria and Obi Asika, Nigerian music executive and Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture, NCAC., at the Best of the Streets press briefing on Wednesday, April 23 held at the MTN Rooftop Events Centre, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Slated to commence on May 1, 2025, the competition offers unsigned artists a transformative platform to compete for life-changing rewards, including a grand money prize, professional music video production, and an EP recording deal.
At the press briefing on Wednesday April 23, A’isha Umar Mumuni, Chief Digital Officer of MTN Nigeria, emphasized the initiative’s impact.
“The premise of Best of the Streets is that there’s talent in every street in Nigeria, whether it’s acting, singing, dancing, comedy or other performance arts.
“Best of the Streets seeks to bring out that talent, to show Nigerian youths that there are opportunities everywhere; and at MTN, we are very proud to take part in creating these opportunities.”
Best of the Streets is in collaboration with C.R.E.A.M (Creative Reality Entertainment Art and Music), founded by Nigerian rapper, Dapo “D’Banj” Oyebanjo is a platform which provides talent management, publishing, and funding support to grassroots artists.
“The C.R.E.A.M platform provides solutions and services for talents, creatives and entrepreneurs, by granting them convenient access to showcase their skills and monetize their content. With our newly launched distribution arm, we are not just discovering talent, we are giving them the tools to take them global,” D’banj explained.
Chris Anokute, Nigerian-born LA-based American Executive, known for discovering global superstar Katy Perry, commended the efforts of this initiative in pushing local Nigerian music to the international stage. “Best of the Streets is the greatest artiste discovery platform I’ve seen come out of Africa.
“The music industry is, as of last year, a 30-billion-dollar industry. Afrobeats is the fastest growing genre in the entire world, over 1.1 million hours of music streamed out of Nigeria on Spotify this year alone.”
On the importance of empowering the creative capacities of the youth, Mobolaji Ogunlende, Honourable Commissioner for Youth and Social Development in Lagos State. “As a government, we have vowed not to leave anybody behind in Lagos state, irrespective of their background.
“There are about 30 million citizens in Lagos, and 60% of the youth. Not every youth will be able to go to school, but we still have the creatives, digital, fashion icons, among others. This platform is an avenue to encourage them.”
To participate, aspiring contestants can dial *463# on their MTN line, upload original content via the official @creamplatform, and mobilise votes from the public. Over 2584 creatives are set to be showcased and rewarded this year. Entries into this competition continue up until December, with daily, weekly and monthly winners, with a final winner who will secure the grand prize.
The Best of the Streets initiative reinforces MTN’s commitment to youth empowerment and creative innovation, aligning with Nigeria’s growing entertainment industry demands.
Meta has announced its intention to appeal the decision of the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal (CCPT), which upheld a $220 million fine imposed by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) over its data practices.
The penalty follows a 38-month investigation conducted by the FCCPC, in collaboration with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), which ran from 2021 to December 2023.
The investigation found evidence of unauthorised data sharing, insufficient user consent mechanisms, and discriminatory practices that treated Nigerian consumers differently from those in other regions.
In July 2024, the FCCPC imposed the $220 million fine on Meta and WhatsApp, citing violations of Nigeria’s data protection and consumer rights laws. Additionally, the ruling mandated corrective actions to ensure that Meta’s business practices comply with Nigerian regulations.
In a decision delivered on Friday, April 25, the tribunal upheld the fine, reaffirming the FCCPC’s authority and investigative processes. The tribunal also ordered Meta to pay an additional $35,000 to cover the costs incurred during the investigation.
However, Meta expressed disagreement with the tribunal’s ruling, stating in a statement on Saturday, April 26, that it would urgently seek to appeal the decision and apply for a stay of execution.
“We are urgently applying to stay the order and appeal today’s decision to avoid any impact to users,” WhatsApp said.
The company also contested the tribunal’s findings, claiming that the ruling misrepresented how WhatsApp operates and contained inaccuracies regarding its data practices.
Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal has upheld a $220 million fine imposed by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) on Meta Platforms Inc. and WhatsApp LLC for data privacy violations in Nigeria.
The Tribunal also awarded $35,000 in investigative costs to the country’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission .
In a statement issued by the FCCPC, the Tribunal delivered its judgment in the appeal filed by Meta Platforms Incorporated (Facebook) and WhatsApp LLC against the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), affirming the Commission’s authority and ruling in favour of its actions on nearly all contested issues.
According to the statement by the FCCPC, “The Tribunal specifically determined that the Commission adhered to prevailing laws, fulfilled its mandate, and exercised its powers by the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
“It ruled that the multiple actions by WhatsApp and Meta, for which the Commission made findings of violations, were correctly identified, and that the Commission did not err in making those findings.”
The statement revealed that WhatsApp and Meta’s legal team was led by Professor Gbolahan Elias (SAN), while the FCCPC was represented by Babatunde Irukera.
It added that both legal teams presented their final arguments on behalf of their respective clients on January 28, 2025.
“The FCCPC had on July on July 19, 2024, issued a Final Order imposing a $220 million administrative penalty after concluding that the companies engaged in discriminatory and exploitative practices against Nigerian consumers, the investigation started in 2020.
“The case arose from a 38-month joint investigation initiated by the FCCPC and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) into the conduct, privacy practices, and consumer data policies of Meta Platforms and WhatsApp.
“Dissatisfied with the Order last year, Meta and WhatsApp appealed to the Tribunal, challenging both the legal basis and the findings of the Commission,” FCCPC said.
The Tribunal upheld the FCCPC’s authority and investigative procedures in Meta and WhatsApp’s appeal, resolving most of the contested issues in the Commission’s favour.
It confirmed that the FCCPC acted within its constitutional and statutory mandate, particularly regarding fair hearing, data protection, and consumer rights.
While it dismissed the majority of the appellants’ objections, it set aside one specific order (Order 7) for lacking sufficient legal basis.
While expressing satisfaction with the judgment, Tunji Bello, executive vice chairman/CEO, commended the Commission’s legal team for their exceptional diligence and forensic expertise in assembling evidence and presenting their case.
He reaffirmed the FCCPC’s unwavering commitment not only to protecting the rights of Nigerian consumers but also to promoting fair business practices in line with the FCCPA (2018) and the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Nigerian government.
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