UNGA 2026: YEDIS highlights AI, digital skills as tools for inclusive economic growth 

By Josephine Agbonkhese

The need to connect artificial intelligence (AI) and digital skills with real economic opportunities for young people and grassroots women took centre stage at the Youths Enterprise Development and Innovation Society (YEDIS) Affiliate Session held during the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week.

The Digital@UNGA 2026 session, organised by YEDIS in the context of International Telecommunication Union and UNDP programs, focused on “Bridging the Digital Divide: Empowering Youth and Grassroots Women through AI, Digital Skills and Inclusive Innovation.”

The hybrid event brought together development practitioners, researchers, entrepreneurs, academics, young people, women leaders and other stakeholders from Nigeria, Sweden, Georgia and the wider international development and private-sector ecosystem.

Delivering the keynote address, Founder and Executive Director of YEDIS, Rafiu Akinpelu Olaore, said bridging the digital divide requires more than expanding internet connectivity and access to digital devices.

He said meaningful digital inclusion must also address disparities in digital skills, affordability, access to knowledge and markets, financial resources and opportunities to turn technology into economic value.

Olaore noted that AI was already transforming how people learn, work, produce, communicate and conduct business, creating new possibilities for entrepreneurs and underserved communities.

According to him, young entrepreneurs can use AI for knowledge acquisition, marketing, business intelligence and productivity, while women involved in agriculture and agro-processing can leverage digital technologies to access markets, financial information, weather information and customers.

He, however, warned that technological advancement could widen existing inequalities if access to AI and digital tools remained concentrated among people who already have reliable connectivity, education, finance and digital skills.

“The challenge is not merely to develop increasingly sophisticated technologies but to ensure that such technologies are accessible, useful, trusted and inclusive,” Olaore said.

Drawing from YEDIS’ grassroots experience, he said technology interventions should respond to actual community needs rather than technology adoption for its own sake.

He cited women producing gari, farmers requiring timely information, young people seeking income opportunities and small businesses seeking greater productivity as examples of groups that could benefit from practical digital solutions.

Olaore stressed that possessing a smartphone alone does not guarantee meaningful participation in the digital economy, adding that underserved young people also need digital skills, mentorship, connectivity, opportunities and an enabling ecosystem.

He identified practical digital and AI skills development, extending capacity-building beyond urban centres, stronger multi-stakeholder partnerships and incorporating inclusion into innovation from the outset as priorities for closing the digital divide.

The keynote was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Patrick Adeyemi Ilori of Malmö University, Sweden, which examined how digital skills and AI could translate into employment, entrepreneurship, market access and broader economic participation.

Contributing to the discussion, Senior Investment Advisor and Sales Director at Palton Morgan Holdings, Achuonye Vivian, examined the opportunities AI presents for women entrepreneurs, particularly those operating at the grassroots.

She identified content creation, marketing, lead generation, business operations and access to business knowledge as areas where AI could help women improve their enterprises.

Achuonye said AI-powered tools could assist entrepreneurs with product descriptions, promotional materials and customer communication, while digital platforms could help businesses reach customers outside their immediate communities.

She also highlighted digital finance as an important component of economic inclusion, noting that electronic payment systems could enable grassroots women to move beyond cash-based transactions while improving financial management and access to financial opportunities.

“Digital finance enables payments. If grassroots women are taught and mentored on artificial intelligence, doing business will be easier, especially getting paid,” she said.

She stressed, however, that digital skills must be accompanied by access to affordable devices, reliable internet, electricity, capital and continued support. She also called for greater awareness of online safety, privacy, cybersecurity risks, scams and potential bias associated with AI systems.

From AI Learning to Economic Participation
Saba Abesadze of the National Bank of Georgia focused on creating a pathway between learning AI and earning from its application.

Abesadze proposed a “learn, build, test, deploy and earn” approach, arguing that digital education should connect learners with real economic activity.

He highlighted reliable digital infrastructure, institutional capacity, applied education, employment pathways and opportunities for young people to develop and deploy AI solutions as important elements of the process.

His contribution reinforced the need to move beyond treating AI as a subject of study towards developing practical capabilities that can be applied to real-world problems and markets.

Olabisi Michael Oyinlola of MicGlobal Education & Management Konsults Ltd. focused on the application of AI and digital technology to agriculture and rural economic inclusion.

He presented the proposed RAAMI — Rural AI Agricultural Market Inclusion Framework, designed particularly around rural youth and grassroots women involved in agriculture and agricultural processing.

Oyinlola highlighted the difference between awareness of digital technology and productive use, noting that rural communities require more than digital devices.

“They also need market intelligence, digital and AI capacity, effective marketing channels and connections to buyers,” he stressed, emphasising that the proposed RAAMI pathway includes community readiness assessment, digital and AI capacity building, market intelligence, AI-powered marketing, buyer linkage and aggregation, as well as evaluation and learning.

The session also explored the possibility of YEDIS and relevant stakeholders developing a RAAMI pilot in selected rural communities in Osun State, with particular attention to rural youth and grassroots women.

In his contribution, Oluwaseun C. Owojori of the Federal Polytechnic Ayede, Oyo State, addressed the role of education and skills-development institutions in preparing young people for emerging opportunities in the digital economy, highlighting the importance of strengthening digital and digital-trade skills within Nigeria’s skills-development ecosystem.