The Lagos State Government has trained 1,700 market women and men, small business owners, young adults and artisans in digital marketing as part of efforts to help businesses expand their customer base and access wider markets.

The initiative, implemented by the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA), is designed to equip beneficiaries with practical digital skills for promoting products, engaging customers and growing their businesses online.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony and distribution of Android phones to participants at the Women Development Centre, Agege, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Bolaji Cecilia Dada, said the changing business environment had made digital skills increasingly important for entrepreneurs seeking to remain visible and competitive.

Dada said the ministry had also distributed tablets and Android phones to beneficiaries to enable them to apply the knowledge acquired during the training.

She urged the beneficiaries to use the devices for business purposes by displaying their products online, communicating with customers, creating content and exploring new markets rather than using them solely for social media entertainment.

Using the example of a pepper seller at Ipori Market, the commissioner said traders could use digital platforms to display products immediately after sourcing them, receive orders from customers and arrange delivery through dispatch riders.

“There is nothing that you are selling. There is no service that you are providing that you cannot put online,” she said, urging the beneficiaries to use digital marketing to move their businesses from local markets to wider markets.

Dada described the graduation as the beginning of a new phase for the participants, urging them to continue learning and make productive use of the digital tools provided.

The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Rianat Ajibike Onigbanjo, said the three-day training and distribution of Android phones marked the beginning of a phase in which participants could apply their new skills to strengthen their businesses and create new opportunities.

Onigbanjo encouraged the beneficiaries to use their certificates and devices as tools for continued learning, business promotion and growth, adding that the success of the programme would depend on how effectively participants applied the knowledge acquired.

Some beneficiaries said the training had improved their understanding of how digital platforms could help them reach more customers.

Mariam Sanusi, a shoemaker and 2025 graduate of a WAPA vocational training programme, said the digital marketing sessions taught her how to manage social media accounts, create WhatsApp links, manage Instagram and respond to customer enquiries.

She said the training would enable her to expand her presence across more digital platforms and reach a wider audience.

Another beneficiary, Oladotun Olutimeyin, a sound engineer involved in the sale, repair and installation of musical equipment, said he learnt how online advertising, photographs and videos could help businesses attract customers and maintain closer connections with them.

The training was facilitated by Liquid Luck Consulting as part of the ministry’s efforts to provide practical digital marketing skills to market women and men, SMEs, young adults and artisans.