Reliance Foundation, Gates Foundation launch ₹200-crore SheConnects Digital Accelerator

Reliance Foundation and Gates Foundation on Wednesday announced the launch of the SheConnects Digital Accelerator, a ₹200-crore initiative aimed at advancing women’s digital inclusion across India and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The three-year programme will focus on scaling high-impact, evidence-backed solutions to improve digital access, participation and economic opportunities for women and girls. The initiative will be supported by Reliance Foundation in India, while also enabling knowledge-sharing between India and African regions.

Focus on scaling proven solutions

The SheConnects Digital Accelerator will adopt a three-pronged approach, including providing grants and technical support to scale proven solutions, fostering collaboration among participating organisations, and strengthening the broader ecosystem to adopt effective practices.

The initiative aims to serve as a Global South platform to support locally led innovations that address the gender digital divide, which continues to persist despite progress in digital access.

“Empowering women with the tools and confidence to participate fully in the digital world is essential to a more equitable future,” said N Deepthi Reddy, chief – women empowerment at Reliance Foundation.

She added that the initiative will focus on scaling solutions to enhance women’s agency and promote the exchange of learnings from India with other regions in the Global South.

Saachi Bhalla, deputy director – gender equality at the Gates Foundation, said that women across the Global South continue to face systemic barriers in accessing digital technologies.

“The SheConnects Digital Accelerator is an opportunity to support locally led innovations that address these challenges in contextually relevant ways,” she said, adding that cross-region collaboration could accelerate progress toward a more inclusive digital future.

Building on existing efforts

The initiative builds on Reliance Foundation’s ongoing efforts in women’s digital empowerment. Over the past three years, the organisation has supported solutions that have improved access to digital technologies for over 600,000 women in India.

The Gates Foundation, meanwhile, has been working with governments and partners to expand digital public infrastructure and improve women’s access to financial services, health information and livelihood opportunities through digital platforms.

The SheConnects Digital Accelerator aims to contribute to the global goal of halving the digital gender gap by 2030, a target endorsed by G20 leaders during India’s presidency in 2023.