HerNest x Mpowa Earn-to-Upgrade Pilot Program

Empowering Women to Lead the Intelligent Future

The HerNest x Mpowa Earn-to-Upgrade Pilot Program is a pioneering 3-month digital empowerment initiative designed to identify, train, and elevate women into AI-focused internship and remote-work opportunities.

Through this collaboration, HerNest brings its human-centered systems model and expertise in women’s empowerment, while Mpowa contributes its robust technology training platform. Together, they’ve created an innovative, performance-based model that rewards consistency, initiative, and growth — giving women the tools and technology to build sustainable digital careers.

Program Overview

The pilot engages 30 women across Nigeria in an accelerated learning experience centered on digital and AI literacy, remote-work readiness, and career development. At the end of the program, 10 outstanding participants will graduate with laptops and AI internship placements, creating a ripple effect of empowerment and economic independence.

A tiered rewards system encourages continuous engagement and self-motivation, offering incremental incentives from data and training access to laptop ownership and leadership opportunities. This “earn-to-upgrade” structure ensures that participants progress through merit-based milestones, reflecting accountability and personal growth at every stage.

Program Framework: The HerNest Systems Model

At the heart of this initiative lies the HerNest Systems Model, an adaptable framework rooted in three guiding principles:

Empathy — Designing solutions around the real needs, motivations, and challenges of women.

Intuition — Identifying long-term commitment indicators that go beyond surface participation.

Truth — Using data-driven tracking and transparent reporting to measure real impact.

This model transforms empowerment into a structured system — one that rewards progress, promotes resilience, and fosters authentic accountability.

Our Unique Guiding Framework: The TEAPR Framework derived for the Earn to Upgrade program.

The TEAPR Framework Technology, Economic Access, Awareness, Privilege(access limited), and Resilience informs the selection and design of this pilot. It focuses on reaching “privileged but access-limited” women: those who have basic digital literacy and motivation but face barriers to opportunity, tools, or structured career pathways.

These women:

Already demonstrate awareness and readiness for growth.
Possess foundational digital skills suitable for remote work.
Require access and structured guidance to translate potential into progress.

By channeling resources toward this segment, HerNest and Mpowa ensure maximum program impact, fostering women who are not only capable of completing the program but also equipped to thrive in the evolving AI-driven workspace.

Why It Matters

The Earn-to-Upgrade Pilot is more than a training program ; it’s a systemic experiment in equitable empowerment. By merging technology access, structured accountability, and human-centered design, it builds a replicable model for women-led digital transformation across Africa.

HerNest and Mpowa are setting a new standard: where technology meets empathy, innovation meets inclusion, and women lead the intelligent future.

Application Phase One- Pre Survey form

Only applicants meeting baseline criteria from this pre-survey will be invited to apply.

Please click here to complete this Pre-Survey Form

Stakeholder Live Launch

Get the first look at how the Earn-to-Upgrade Pilot is reshaping women’s digital futures, application process and timelines and much more

Date : 7th November 2025

Time: 4:30 PM WAT

Click here to watch it live on YouTube

Curious? Don’t miss the reveal of timelines, opportunities, and partnerships.

For more information join the Stakeholder Live Session — Official Program Launch