Liberia is set to establish five technology and business innovation hubs aimed at helping women develop digital skills, start and expand businesses, and gain greater access to economic opportunities.
The initiative, known as the Liberia Women’s Digital and Economic Empowerment Program, was announced on September 23, 2026, through a partnership involving Liberia’s Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, US technology company Cybastion, its philanthropic arm Theya Foundation, and Cisco.
The programme will establish a flagship hub in Monrovia and regional hubs in Voinjama, Gbarnga, Kakata and Buchanan.
The facilities are expected to provide women with digital-skills training, entrepreneurship education, mentorship, business-development support, access to digital tools and connections to markets and financial services.
A major component of the programme will be training delivered through the Cisco Networking Academy, with participants gaining technical and digital skills that can support entrepreneurship and participation in Liberia’s growing digital economy.
The initiative will also focus on women working in agriculture. According to the programme partners, the hubs will help women farmers improve production and processing, access market and weather information, use digital and artificial-intelligence tools, and connect with financial services and wider supply chains.
One of the programme’s distinctive features is the inclusion of childcare centres at the technology hubs.
The facilities are being designed to allow women with young children to participate in digital training, mentorship and business-development programmes without childcare responsibilities preventing them from attending.
The agreement was signed by Liberia’s Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Gbeme Horace Kollie, and Cybastion President and CEO Dr Thierry Wandji during a trade and investment roundtable held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Cisco Executive Vice President and Chief People, Policy and Purpose Officer Francine Katsoudas also participated in the launch of the initiative.
The programme forms part of Liberia’s wider efforts to expand digital inclusion and economic opportunities for women and young people.
Cybastion already has a separate five-year agreement with the Liberian government focused on the country’s broader digital transformation, including connectivity, data infrastructure, cybersecurity and digital government services.
However, the partners have not yet publicly disclosed the total cost of the women’s technology-hub programme, the construction timeline or the number of women expected to participate in its first phase.
The five planned hubs are expected to create physical spaces where women can combine digital training with entrepreneurship, access to markets and business support, while the inclusion of childcare is intended to address one of the practical barriers that can limit women’s participation in training and economic activities.
If implemented as announced, the initiative will extend digital and business support beyond Liberia’s capital to women in several regional centres, linking technology skills with agriculture, entrepreneurship and economic participation.
TNAM
