Girls Voices Initiative

What Girls Voices Initiative does

Girls Voices Initiative is a Nigerian nonprofit organization (Incorporated Trustee, registered February 2016; founded October 2013) headquartered in Abuja that runs a portfolio of programs targeting adolescent girls and young women across Nigeria's six geopolitical zones. Its work is anchored in the proprietary GIRLEADS curriculum, which combines rights education, digital and financial literacy, citizen journalism, media production, and STEAM innovation. Programs include Girl Summit (advocacy summits tied to the International Day of the Girl), Tech Girls Advocacy Program (TGAP) and TechTackle (digital literacy and coding/hackathons), Girl Nation (social-impact filmmaking for female undergraduates), the Women's International Film Festival Nigeria (WIFFEN), Girls on the Airwaves (LIVE radio advocacy on gender-based violence broadcast via FRCN 92.9 Kapital FM), and SWAG Through Empowerment (vocational skills for survivors of child marriage in Northern Nigeria).

The organization does not sell a product or charge beneficiaries. Its revenue model is grant- and donation-based, drawing on a recurring mix of international development partners (Global Fund for Women, French Embassy PISCCA Fund, Plan International Nigeria, Mundo Cooperante, Canadian High Commission, World Pulse Inc.), corporate donors (Zenith Bank, Central Bank of Nigeria, Hall 7 Real Estate, Aero Contractors, Aputure Lighting), and multilateral collaborators (UNODC, Facebook London, Africa Teen Geeks). Distribution is delivered directly through public secondary schools, universities (University of Abuja, Bayero University Kano, University of Calabar), radio broadcasting, community-based organizations serving IDPs, and international film festivals.

The organization is led by Founder & Creative Director Carolyn Seaman with a Board of Trustees and a unique Adolescent Girls Advisory Board that co-designs programming. Reported reach includes over 1 million adolescent girls directly transformed and a claimed 125 million audience via flagship radio campaigns. Recognition includes the 2019 With and For Girls Award (Sub-Saharan Africa) and the 2020 BPeace Women Forward Global Award. There is no commercial product, no AI/ML technology stack, no patents, no M&A activity, and no equity fundraising — consistent with a movement-building nonprofit rather than a venture-backable business.

Name

Girls Voices Initiative

Legal name

Girls Voices Initiative

Website

https://girls-voices.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development and Girls' Rights Education Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (BPAGABAF), Gender Equality & Women’s Rights (BPADAGAF)

Keywords

• Girls rights advocacy
• STEAM education programs
• Social impact filmmaking
• Digital literacy training
• Adolescent girls empowerment

Headquarters

HQ city

Abuja

HQ country

Nigeria

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Funding from international development organizations, foundations, and government agencies including Global Fund for Women, French Embassy PISCCA Fund, Plan International Nigeria, and others.
2. Donations: Contributions from individual donors, corporate partners, and development partners supporting girls' rights programs.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Girls Voices Initiative is a Nigerian nonprofit that delivers free educational and advocacy programs for adolescent girls and young women. Its portfolio combines rights education, digital and financial literacy, STEAM training (coding, design thinking), citizen journalism, and social impact filmmaking, delivered through school- and community-based programs, live radio campaigns, hackathons, summits, and a film festival. The GIRLEADS curriculum serves as the unifying framework connecting these programs.

Product overview

Girls Voices Initiative is a non-profit girls' rights organization operating as a multi-program portfolio rather than a unified technology product. The organization offers programs across three main streams: (1) Girls' Rights - including rights education, rights advocacy, and movement building through programs like Girl Summit and advocacy campaigns; (2) Technology - including STEM programs, coding hackathons, and digital literacy through TechTackle, Tech Girls Advocacy Program (TGAP), and Scratch Day; and (3) Media - including social impact filmmaking, civic engagement, and social media advocacy through Girl Nation, Women International Film Festival Nigeria (WIFFEN), and Girls on the Air Waves. The GIRLEADS curriculum serves as the foundational framework connecting these programs. The organization does not offer a commercial software product but rather runs educational and advocacy programs for adolescent girls in Nigeria.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GIRLEADS: Girls' Rights, Leadership, Advocacy and Skills curriculum that fosters a culture of inquiry and problem-solving, empowering Nigerian girls to use applied technology as a weapon against Africa's most pressing challenges.
• TechTackle
• Girls on the Air Waves
• Girl Nation
• Tech Girls Advocacy Program (TGAP)
• Girl Summit
• Women's International Film Festival Nigeria (WIFFEN)

Products and services

• TechTackle

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1 million adolescent girls directly transformed through programs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Africa Teen GeekscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for Hackathon4Justice - a 24-hour hackathon innovation partnership with Facebook London and UNODC targeting tech solutions for justice and rule of law.
• United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation for Justice Initiative partnership providing challenge topics for hackathons including counterterrorism, human trafficking, corruption, and crime prevention.
• Canadian High Commission in NigeriaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-implemented SheCanLead campaign following 'Follow the Leader' initiative with reverse mentorship between Canadian High Commissioner and young Nigerian female leaders.
• Marksmen ProductionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead training partner for Girl Nation filmmaking program, providing technical filmmaking curriculum from scriptwriting through editing.
• World Pulse Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital platform partner for GirlsInnovate IWD 2019 and Make Girls Voices Count campaign, providing digital storytelling and action campaign training.
• Filmmaking Associations (Abuja Literary Society, Actors Guild of Nigeria, Afrigos Film School, NANTAP, NFAN, AFMAN, K-WAN, MOPPAN, SWG, WIM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with 10 filmmaking associations in Kano State and FCT for Girl Nation 2022, building capacity and producing short films on girls' and women's rights.
• AndelaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided mentorship support during Hackathon4Justice event.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• With and For Girls Collective: Global collective recognizing high-impact girl-led organizations; Girls Voices Initiative won its 2019 award, making it directly comparable as a network of girl-led, grassroots rights organizations.
• African Women's Development Fund: Pan-African women's rights grantmaker supporting organizations across the continent; comparable as a regional women's-rights movement builder and resource mobilizer targeting similar African grassroots organizations.
• Girl Rising: Global nonprofit using storytelling and media (including film) to drive awareness and advocacy for girls' education; directly comparable in combining media production, girl-led narratives, and movement building.
• Global Fund for Women: International feminist foundation that has funded Girls Voices Initiative (TGAP 2017, Girl Summit 2018); comparable as a women's-rights grantmaker and ecosystem builder supporting girl-led advocacy organizations globally.
• Plan International: One of the largest global girls' rights organizations with active Nigeria operations and an existing funder relationship with Girls Voices Initiative (Girl Summit 2016); operates a similar model combining rights education, advocacy, and youth empowerment across multiple African countries.
• Malala Fund: Global nonprofit advancing girls' education and empowerment, particularly in low-income countries; comparable mission focus on adolescent girls' rights and education with similar advocacy and movement-building approach.
• World Pulse: Digital platform and community for women and girls' voices worldwide; an existing Girls Voices Initiative partner on the Make Girls Voices Count and GirlsInnovate campaigns, directly comparable on digital storytelling for women's empowerment.
• WiLDAF (Women in Law and Development in Africa): Pan-African women's rights network operating across West and Central Africa with focus on legal rights, advocacy, and movement building; comparable as a regional African organization serving similar geographies and populations.

Broad incumbents

• UN Women: United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women globally; comparable mission on advancing women's and girls' rights but operating at vastly larger scale and breadth than a grassroots African nonprofit.
• UNICEF Nigeria: UN agency operating in Nigeria on children's rights, including adolescent girls' education and protection; operates in the same geographies and beneficiary segments but with much broader programmatic scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/girlsvoices1
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCzJERL5mCA1XeP06FUr3wKA
• Facebookfacebook.com/girlsvoices
• Instagraminstagram.com/girls.voices
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/girls-voices-initiative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Girls Voices Initiative