Liberia Partners with Cybastion to Empower Women Through Tech

Liberia’s Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has signed an agreement with Cybastion to establish technology and business innovation hubs for women, with childcare facilities planned across the country.

The agreement was signed by Cybastion CEO Dr. Thierry Wandji Ketchiozo and Liberia’s Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Gbeme Horace Kollie, during the Corporate Council on Africa’s Trade and Investment Roundtable in New York.

The initiative, called the Liberia Women’s Digital and Economic Empowerment Program, aims to expand women’s access to digital skills, entrepreneurship training and business development opportunities.

Cybastion’s philanthropic organization, Theya Foundation, will partner with Cisco to deliver digital skills and entrepreneurship training to women and young people through the Cisco Networking Academy.

Key Highlights

• Liberia and Cybastion will establish five women’s technology and business innovation hubs across the country
• The hubs will provide digital skills, entrepreneurship training, mentorship and business development support for women and young people
• Each campus will include a childcare center to help mothers participate in training and entrepreneurship programs

“Liberian women are a vital force in the country’s economic and social development. By bringing digital skills, entrepreneurship support and modern child care together in one place, these technology innovation hubs will create pathways for women to build stronger businesses and participate more fully in Liberia’s digital economy.” – Dr. Thierry Wandji Ketchiozo, CEO, Cybastion

A flagship campus will be located in Monrovia and four other regional campuses will be built in Voinjama, Gbarnga, Kakata and Buchanan. Support for business development and mentorship for the participating women will be offered by the campuses.

The technology innovation hubs will assist women to build business management capacities, connect to new markets, gain access to financial services, and engage in broader value chains.

Cisco Executive Vice President and Chief People, Policy and Purpose Officer Francine Katsoudas also pointed out that the partnership could unlock digital skills and entrepreneurship opportunities for women entrepreneurs in Liberia.

A modern childcare center will be established in each campus for the mothers of young children to be able to attend training, mentorship and business development programs. The centers are designed to overcome the child care challenge that hinders women's engagement in education and entrepreneurship programs.

The project is Cybastion’s second agreement with the Boakai government unveiled at the General Assembly. In September 2024, on the sidelines of the 79th session, Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti signed a memorandum of understanding with the Cybastion Institute of Technology to build a new data center and connect Liberia to an additional subsea cable, under a five-year program called Digital Fast Track. No details of the cable or the data center were made public at the time.