What It Means To Be A BDEI Community Champion

Across Nigeria, millions of young people are navigating a digital economy without the foundational skills to participate in it fully. Access to structured digital education remains uneven, and for many underserved communities, the gap between where people are and where opportunity exists continues to widen.

The BDEI Community Champion Program is Tech4Dev's direct response to that gap and applications are now open.

What Is the BDEI Community Champion Program?

The BDEI Community Champion Program is a 4-month capacity development fellowship run by Tech4Dev under the Basic Digital Education Initiative (BDEI). It is designed for young Nigerians who want to build practical digital and AI skills while developing the confidence and competence to drive meaningful change in their communities.

The program combines structured capacity building with community engagement.

Who Is A BDEI Community Champion?

A BDEI Community Champion is not just a participant; but a young leader committed to expanding access to digital knowledge and creating opportunities for others to engage and thrive in an increasingly digital world.

How the Program Works

The first phase of the program includes an intensive 4-week capacity development bootcamp, where you begin your capacity-building journey. It is focused on equipping you with the knowledge and skills needed to engage confidently with digital tools and empower your community. You will strengthen your capacity across areas such as:

• Digital literacy
• AI Awareness
• Leadership
• Community facilitation.

Following the bootcamp, you will spend the next three months applying your learning through a community project by driving digital and AI awareness among the people around you, while continuing to receive structured learning, mentorship, and guidance to support your implementation.

This program is designed to be practical. By the end, you should be able to apply what you have learned in your daily life and explain it clearly to others.

Creating Impact in Your Community

Your community engagement project is where your growth as a Champion becomes visible. Each Champion is expected to reach and empower between 80 to 100 individuals through community-based digital and AI awareness sessions. You will not be doing this without support, as Tech4Dev will be providing structured guidance and resources, including learning materials, facilitation tools, and program guidelines, to help you deliver effective sessions.

What You Stand to Gain as a Community Champion

The program offers a concrete set of benefits for participants:

• Leadership, facilitation, and community engagement competencies that enable you to drive digital inclusion
• Practical digital and AI skills you can apply in your personal, professional, and community activities
• Membership in a network of young leaders working on digital and AI inclusion across Nigeria
• Access to mentorship and learning resources throughout the program
• A certificate upon completion.

Beyond the formal benefits, the program is also a record of demonstrated impact. By the time you complete it, you will have empowered real people in your community, and that is something you can speak to in any professional or academic setting.

Who Should Apply?

This opportunity is open to young Nigerians aged 18 to 35 who are motivated to grow and committed to empowering their communities. You do not need a technology background to apply. The program starts from the foundations, so what matters most is your willingness to engage with the program and your commitment to community engagement.

Registration is free and open to both male and female applicants across Nigeria.

How To Apply

Becoming a BDEI Community Champion is a commitment to your own growth and to the people in your community who are still waiting for access to digital opportunities.

If you are ready to take on that commitment, applications are currently open at bit.ly/BDEIChampions. The deadline to apply is 29th June 2026.