Reliance Foundation and Gates Foundation have announced the launch of the SheConnects Digital Accelerator, a new initiative focused on advancing women’s digital inclusion across India and Sub-Saharan Africa.
The INR 200-crore initiative will support locally led, high-impact digital solutions over the next three years, with the aim of improving the lives and livelihoods of women and girls through greater digital access and adoption.
In India, the SheConnects Digital Accelerator will be supported by Reliance Foundation. The programme will identify and scale evidence-backed solutions that address the gender digital divide. Gates Foundation and Reliance Foundation will also work together to promote South-South knowledge sharing between India and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Over the last decade, both regions have made significant progress in expanding digital access, participation, and opportunities for women. The Accelerator will build on this momentum through a three-part approach that includes scaling evidence-backed solutions through grants, awards, and technical advisory support; enabling collaboration and learning among awardees; and supporting the wider ecosystem in adopting practices that have demonstrated impact.
“Empowering women with the tools and confidence to participate fully in the digital world is essential to a more equitable future. When empowered women are at the centre, they have shown that they drive more than their own journey and catalyse transformation in society. In India, Reliance Foundation will support the SheConnects Digital Accelerator to scale up solutions to close the gender digital divide and enhance women’s agency. Over the next three years, as we identify and support efforts to advance digital inclusion for women in India, we look forward to sharing innovations and learnings from India with the Global South,” said N Deepthi Reddy, Chief – Women Empowerment, Reliance Foundation.
“Across the Global South, women continue to face systemic barriers to accessing and benefiting from digital technologies. Countries like India and several African nations have made considerable strides in advancing digital inclusion, creating important momentum and lessons for broader adaptation. The SheConnects Digital Accelerator is an opportunity to support locally led innovations that address these challenges in contextually relevant ways. By fostering collaboration and learning across regions, we hope to accelerate progress toward a more inclusive digital future for women,” said Saachi Bhalla, Deputy Director – Gender Equality, Gates Foundation.
The SheConnects Digital Accelerator in India builds on Reliance Foundation’s work towards women’s inclusion and digital empowerment since 2010. Over the last three years, Reliance Foundation has supported culturally rooted digital solutions that have improved access to digital technologies for more than 600,000 women across India.
Across Africa and India, the Gates Foundation has partnered with governments to strengthen digital public infrastructure, expand digital ecosystems, and support women’s access to financial services, health information, and livelihood opportunities through digital platforms. Its work focuses on addressing gender gaps in access, affordability, digital skills, and safety while working with governments, non-profits, and the private sector to scale inclusive solutions
The SheConnects Digital Accelerator also aligns with the global goal of halving the digital gender gap by 2030, announced by G20 Leaders during India’s presidency in 2023.