184 Rural Women Graduate With ICT Skills In Limpopo, Mpumalanga

As part of its ongoing efforts to build digital skills and literacy among women in rural communities, the Women’s Development Business (WDB) Trust Training Academy will host two ICT graduation ceremonies in Mpumalanga and Limpopo. The events celebrate learners who have successfully completed a year-long ICT skills development programme.

A total of 184 learners will graduate across the two sites, including 90 graduates from Acornhoek in Mpumalanga on 9th March 2026 and 94 graduates from Makhado in Limpopo on the 10th March 2026. The graduating class reflects both intergenerational inclusion and the high demand for digital skills, with young people making up 60% of participants and older women 40%.

“The digital divide continues to entrench inequality in rural areas, where access to services increasingly requires basic digital capability,” said WDB Trust CEO Riah Phiyega. “These graduates have invested a full year in building practical ICT skills that can immediately improve how they engage with financial institutions, government services and the wider economy.”

The programme covers Computer-Based Functional Literacy (CBFL) and Basic Computer Skills (BCS) modules, both accredited by the MICT SETA. Training focuses on foundational skills that support day-to-day digital participation, including functional computer use and the confidence to navigate systems and platforms that are now central to service delivery.

“The objective is to deepen our efforts to reduce poverty among rural women,” Phiyega added. “In an increasingly digital world, both young and mature women need to be equipped with digital skills to access essential services. For young people in particular, these skills can meaningfully improve their chances of accessing employment and work opportunities.”

The WDB Trust Training Academy Programme was established in 2015 to build skills in communities and increase the impact of WDB’s poverty alleviation initiatives among women in rural areas. To date, more than 10,000 women have been trained through the Academy.

One of the graduates, Ms Thulane Lincane, had this to say about the progamme: “What I learned in ICT training wasn’t what I thought would make me money but it changed my life & opened doors I never imagined.”

By equipping participants with practical ICT skills, the programme is helping to narrow the digital divide that continues to exclude many rural women from essential opportunities. As more public and private services move online—including banking, job searches and small-business administration—basic digital literacy becomes a gateway to participation. These new skills reduce reliance on intermediaries, lower the cost and time of accessing services, and enable graduates to engage more confidently and independently in the digital economy.