By Our Correspondent Reportcircle News
After three years of quiet but consequential work in one of Nigeria’s most fragile regions, the European Union has drawn the curtain on a far-reaching digital skills programme that is reshaping lives, livelihoods and local capacity across Borno and Yobe States.
The initiative, deliberately targeted at women, hard-to-reach youth and persons with disabilities, was designed to confront one of the North-East’s most stubborn barriers to recovery: digital exclusion.
In communities scarred by conflict and displacement, the programme set out to narrow the digital gender gap, unlock economic opportunity and rebuild confidence through technology.
Its conclusion was formally marked on February 4, 2026, in Maiduguri, where government officials, civil society leaders, implementing partners and development stakeholders gathered to take stock of what many described as a rare example of inclusive digital transformation working in a fragile setting.
Funded by the European Union with €750,000 and implemented by ZOA International between 2023 and 2026, the programme reached deep into 30 communities across Borno and Yobe.
Rather than focusing on infrastructure alone, it combined skills training, community ownership and institutional strengthening, ensuring that technology translated into practical, everyday value.
Addressing participants at the closing ceremony, the Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Massimo De Luca, framed the project as a model for people-centred development.
“This project shows how well-targeted digital investments can deliver lasting impact by empowering communities, strengthening local institutions and supporting inclusive economic growth,” De Luca said.
“Through the Global Gateway strategy, the European Union is backing practical digital transformation that responds to local realities and leaves no one behind.”
He was blunt about the stakes in conflict-affected regions like the North-East.
“Digital inclusion is not a luxury; it is a necessity,” he said. “For marginalised communities, access to digital skills is essential to resilience, innovation, meaningful participation in today’s economy and long-term recovery.”
Beyond skills acquisition, De Luca stressed that the EU’s interest lies in outcomes that endure jobs created, enterprises sustained and communities able to stand on their own.
“Our focus is on ensuring that skills, infrastructure and innovation translate into real economic value,” he noted, “from viable businesses to durable local resilience.”
The numbers behind the programme underline its scale.
According to ZOA Programme Manager, Godwin Dominic, more than 18,193 people were trained over the three-year period.
Thirty-two IT hubs were established, six schools were equipped with IT services, and a Digital Literacy Working Group was formed to coordinate efforts and sustain gains long after donor funding winds down.
“These are not just statistics,” Dominic said. “They represent access, opportunity and a foundation for the future across communities that were previously left behind.”
The Borno State Government also welcomed the intervention.
Representing the State, the Executive Secretary of the Borno Information and Communication Technology Development Agency, Engr. Mohammed Kabir Wanori, said the programme aligned squarely with state development priorities and expanded opportunities for women and youth in particular.
As the final session closed in Maiduguri, the mood was less about endings than continuity.
Partners pledged to sustain the digital infrastructure, skills and local capacity built through the programme, ensuring that its impact continues to fuel inclusive economic participation and community resilience in Nigeria’s North-East.
For thousands who moved from exclusion to empowerment, the legacy of the EU’s digital push is already written not just in reports, but in skills learned, hubs opened and futures re-imagined.£
