Digital Safety Innovation Call Nigeria 2025: How to Get Your Tech Solution Spotlighted by UNDP

Digital spaces in Nigeria can be brutal for women and girls. Harassment in DMs. Non-consensual image sharing. Doxxing. Deepfakes. Tech-enabled stalking. Sometimes it is subtle, sometimes it is public, often it is relentless.

UNDP Nigeria is not asking for think pieces about it. They are asking for working solutions.

As part of the United Nations 2025 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign, UNDP Nigeria has launched a national call for digital solutions to end online violence against women and girls.

This is not a cash grant competition in the classic sense; it is a high-visibility, high-credibility platform and support opportunity for startups, social innovators, hubs, and labs already building tools that make the internet safer.

If you are a Nigerian founder or innovator working on digital safety, privacy, online rights, content moderation, user protection, or related areas, this is one of those calls you take seriously. Being selected means your work gets:

• Publicly showcased by UNDP Nigeria during a global advocacy moment
• Documented in a formal innovation spotlight
• Positioned in front of government, regulators, private sector, digital rights groups, and women’s organisations

In other words, you get in the room with nearly everyone who can help you scale and sustain your work.

Let’s break it down.

Opportunity at a Glance

What This UNDP Digital Safety Opportunity Actually Offers

This call is not about idea-stage wishful thinking. UNDP Nigeria is looking for demonstrably working tech or tech-enabled solutions that are already helping protect women and girls online.

If your solution is longlisted, you can expect tailored support aimed at strengthening and scaling your model. That might include strategic feedback on your product, introductions to relevant partners, or guidance on sharpening your impact model. They want to help you move from “this works in pockets” to “this can work at scale”.

For the top 6 shortlisted solutions, the benefits get even more substantial.

First, your work will be showcased during the 2025 16 Days of Activism period. That means exposure through UNDP Nigeria platforms and partner channels at a time when gender-based violence is receiving concentrated national and global attention. For a young startup or social innovation team, that kind of visibility is worth more than many small grants.

Second, your solution will be featured in an Innovation Spotlight at the UNDP Innovation Center in Lagos. Think of this as an official case study: your model, your results, your lessons learned, all documented and broadcast as an example of what effective digital safety innovation looks like in Nigeria. That is the kind of documentation you can put in investor decks, funding proposals, and partnership pitches.

Third, you will be invited to present at a multi-stakeholder dialogue. This is not a random webinar. This is a curated conversation bringing together:

• Government representatives
• Regulators (the people who can shape digital policy)
• Private sector players (platforms, telecoms, fintechs, etc.)
• Digital rights organisations
• Women’s rights organisations

In plain language: it is a room full of people who can change policy, sign MOUs, write cheques, or integrate your solution into larger systems.

If your solution is serious and you are thinking beyond a small pilot, this is the kind of stage you want.

Who Should Apply (and Who Should Probably Not)

UNDP Nigeria is very clear: they want Nigeria-based tech or tech-enabled solutions that are already in motion, not just in your head or on your Notion board.

You are a strong fit if:

• You are a young Nigerian startup founder, a social innovator, or part of an innovation hub or lab.
• Your solution directly responds to one or more of the four core online risk categories:
  • Content risks – harmful, abusive, or non-consensual content targeting women and girls.
  • Contact risks – unwanted or abusive interactions, grooming, stalking, harassment.
  • Conduct risks – behaviour such as bullying, doxxing, or orchestrated abuse campaigns.
  • Contract risks – misuse of data, unfair terms, exploitative or deceptive digital agreements.
• You are using technology as a core tool – this could be an app, platform, AI tool, reporting system, verification tool, digital literacy product, online safety protocol, or a well-structured hybrid solution where tech plus offline support work hand in hand.

A few examples of the kind of work that fits this call:

• An app that lets survivors report digital abuse anonymously and connects them to verified legal or psychosocial support.
• A browser extension or tool that flags potential image-based abuse or deepfake threats targeting women.
• A moderation or filtering solution that helps platforms quickly detect and act on gendered hate speech or targeted harassment.
• A digital literacy program backed by a tech platform that helps girls understand privacy settings, consent, and how to respond to online blackmail.
• A legal-tech platform that simplifies complaints about digital abuse, explains rights in simple language, and tracks case progress.

Women-led and youth-led teams are strongly encouraged to apply, and frankly, they will likely be very competitive. A woman-led team tackling digital violence against women and girls, with a genuine understanding of lived experiences, will resonate strongly with this call.

You might want to sit this one out if:

• You are only at the idea stage with no prototype, pilot, or active users.
• Your solution is generic “women in tech empowerment” without a clear angle on digital violence or online safety.
• Your work is valuable but purely offline (for example, only physical shelters, only in-person trainings) with no clear tech or digital component.

This call is about digital violence, digital risks, and digital safety tools. Keep that front and center.

Understanding the Four Online Risk Categories (So You Can Position Your Solution)

The call explicitly references four categories of risk: content, contact, conduct, and contract. If you want your application taken seriously, you need to be able to clearly show which ones you address.

Here is a quick plain-language breakdown:

• Content risks: Harmful material that women and girls are exposed to or targeted with. Think non-consensual intimate images, revenge porn, deepfakes, hate speech, misogynistic content, or threats posted publicly.

• Contact risks: Harm that happens because someone reaches out to a person online. For example, sexual harassment in DMs, online grooming, scam relationships, catfishing, or persistent unwanted contact.

• Conduct risks: Harmful behaviour by users themselves, including bullying, coordinated pile-ons, public shaming, doxxing, extortion, or encouraging self-harm or unsafe behaviour.

• Contract risks: The “fine print” side of digital harm. This includes deceptive terms of service, apps misusing personal data, hidden consent, exploitative digital contracts, or monetisation schemes that endanger women and girls.

When you write your application, spell out clearly:

“Our solution primarily addresses contact and conduct risks by…”

or

“We focus on contract risks by simplifying and challenging exploitative digital terms that disproportionately harm women and girls…”

That clarity will make reviewers’ lives easier and your solution more compelling.

Insider Tips for a Winning Application

You are not just filling an online form; you are making a case for why your solution deserves national visibility and support. Treat it with the seriousness of a major grant proposal, even if there is no direct cash award.

Here are practical ways to stand out:

1. Show Evidence That Your Solution Already Works

UNDP is looking for demonstrably working solutions. That means you cannot rely on promises.

Include:

• User numbers (even if small but growing)
• Stories of actual women or girls who used your solution (anonymised, of course)
• Before-and-after scenarios (e.g., “We reduced report processing time from 10 days to 24 hours”)
• Screenshots, if the form allows links or uploads, or at least clear descriptions of your product flow

Even rough but honest metrics beat vague claims like “impacting thousands”.

2. Connect Your Work Explicitly to Digital Violence

Do not assume the reviewers will connect the dots.

Spell out:

• What specific types of digital violence you see most in your context
• Where your solution sits in the “journey” – prevention, early warning, reporting, support, accountability, or recovery
• Why women and girls are particularly affected in your target environment (e.g., social stigma, low reporting, lack of legal recourse, platform indifference)

The more precisely you describe the problem, the more credible your solution looks.

3. Highlight Your Local Context and Reach

This is a Nigeria-focused call. If your solution is deeply rooted in Nigerian realities – languages, data costs, device access, legal framework, cultural norms – say so clearly.

For example:

• “Our chatbot supports Pidgin, Hausa, and Yoruba to reach low-literacy users.”
• “We designed our reporting flow to work reliably on low-bandwidth and basic smartphones.”
• “We have partnerships with local women’s rights organisations in Kano and Port Harcourt.”

Context is not a side note; it is a strength.

4. Be Honest About Your Stage and Ambitions

You do not need to pretend you are already a unicorn. What you need is a believable story about where you are now and where support from UNDP could help you go.

You might say:

• “We currently operate in two universities with 800 active users. Over the next 12 months, with the right partners, we can expand to 10 universities.”
• “We have a working MVP and 10 test organisations. Our priority is strengthening our data security and scaling our support network.”

Ambition is good. Fantasy is not.

5. Make Your Team Look Real and Capable

Reviewers are investing credibility in you. Show them real humans with real skills.

Briefly outline:

• Who does what (tech lead, community lead, legal lead, etc.)
• Any relevant experience – previous startups, community work, digital rights advocacy, survivor support, cybersecurity, law, or mental health
• If you have advisors in law, psychology, or digital rights, mention them. It signals maturity.

6. Show You Care About Safety, Ethics, and Data Protection

Digital violence solutions can cause harm if handled badly. If you deal with sensitive reports, personal data, or evidence, reviewers will want reassurance.

Address:

• How you protect user data (encryption, minimal data storage, access controls)
• How you avoid re-traumatising survivors in your process
• Any referral pathways to professional support (legal, psychosocial, medical)

This is where many “cool tech” ideas quietly fail. Do not be that team.

Suggested Application Timeline (Working Back from 12 December 2025)

You could technically rush this in a weekend. You will also sound like you rushed it in a weekend. Give yourself at least 3–4 weeks of thoughtful work.

Here is a realistic backwards plan:

• By late November 2025 (2–3 weeks before deadline):
  Have all core answers drafted. Ask 2–3 people to review – ideally someone with GBV expertise, someone with product/tech sense, and someone who knows nothing about your field to check clarity.

• Early–mid November 2025:
  Gather your evidence: usage numbers, impact stories, screenshots, testimonials (even informal ones), and any press or recognition. Decide which of the four risk categories your solution primarily targets and craft a sharp problem statement.

• Late October – early November 2025:
  Sit with your team and write a clean, simple narrative: What problem are you addressing? What exactly do you do? Who does it serve? How do you know it works? Where do you want to go next? This becomes the backbone of your form responses.

• Final week (5–11 December 2025):
  Polish your application. Double-check facts. Fix grammar. Make sure your key messages do not contradict each other between sections.

• At least 48 hours before the deadline (10 December 2025):
  Submit. Do not wait for 11:59 p.m. on 12 December. Internet fails, laptops crash, forms time out. UNDP is clear: late applications will not be considered.

Required Materials and How to Prepare Them

The official form may evolve, but you can safely expect to need the following types of information. Preparing these in advance will save you a lot of stress.

You will likely need:

• Basic organisational and team details – name, contact information, legal status (if any), team members and roles. Have a short, crisp 2–3 sentence description of who you are.

• Problem description – a clear, jargon-free explanation of the digital violence issues you are tackling. Use real examples (without naming real people) to make it concrete.

• Solution overview – what your product or model does, in practical terms. Imagine explaining it to a smart friend who is not in tech. No buzzwords, just what happens when a user interacts with your solution.

• Stage of development and traction – when you launched, how many people or organisations you have reached, where you operate, what feedback or results you have collected.

• Impact and learning – what has changed for your users because of your work. Include both numbers (if you have them) and qualitative stories (e.g., “We helped a student safely report image-based abuse that led to disciplinary action”).

• Future plans – what you would do if you had more visibility, partners, or technical support. This is not a fundraising deck, but you should show that you are thinking beyond your current pilot.

• Links or supporting materials – website, app store listing, GitHub, social media pages, articles, or videos. Choose links that make your work look real and active, not dusty.

Before you start filling the form, draft your answers in a separate document. That way, if your browser reloads or the internet drops, your hard work is not gone.

What Makes an Application Stand Out to Reviewers

While UNDP does not publish a full scoring rubric, we can safely assume reviewers care about a few core things:

1. Clear Relevance to Digital Violence Against Women and Girls

If your solution could be about “safety in general” but you have not seriously considered gendered harm, you will be outcompeted by those who have.
Strong applications speak directly to how women and girls are targeted online and how the solution responds.

2. Evidence Over Hype

Reviewers know the difference between marketing fluff and real impact. They will gravitate toward:

• Honest numbers (even if modest)
• Concrete examples
• Screenshots or product descriptions that feel real, not aspirational
• A track record of actually shipping and learning, not just pitching

3. Innovation With Practicality

Your solution does not need to be highly complex. In fact, many powerful safety tools are simple and brilliantly executed.

What matters is that:

• It addresses a real, specific pain point
• It is technically feasible at scale
• It respects users’ dignity and safety
• It fits the Nigerian context

A WhatsApp-based support system that actually works in low-data environments can be more valuable than a flashy AI product that nobody can access.

4. Strong Team and Partnerships

Applications that show serious partnerships with women’s organisations, digital rights groups, legal clinics, mental health professionals, or universities will feel much stronger. It shows you are not trying to handle everything alone – especially in sensitive areas like GBV.

5. Potential for Scale or Replication

UNDP will be thinking: if this model works in one place, can it grow? Can it be replicated in other states, universities, communities, or sectors? If your solution is deliberately designed to scale (or to act as a replicable template), explain how.

Common Mistakes to Avoid (Seriously, Avoid These)

A lot of solid ideas fail at the application stage for avoidable reasons. Do not let that be you.

1. Vague Problem Statements

“Women and girls face many challenges online” is not enough. Everyone knows that.
Spell out specific types of harm, where they occur, and why existing mechanisms are failing. The more specific you are, the more serious you sound.

2. Overpromising or Exaggerating Reach

Claiming you will “protect millions of women in one year” with a three-person team and no budget does not make you visionary; it makes you look disconnected from reality.

Be ambitious, but base your projections on actual capacity and growth patterns.

3. Ignoring the Four Risk Categories

If you do not reference content, contact, conduct, and/or contract risks at all, it may appear you have not properly read the call. At minimum, explain which categories your work addresses and how.

4. Treating Tech as the Only Solution

Many digital violence problems need human support too: counsellors, legal aid, moderators, trusted community figures. If your solution includes offline support, highlight it. An app without any human safety net around it can feel dangerously incomplete.

5. Sloppy, Last-Minute Submissions

Typos, half-finished sentences, contradictory answers, and broken links all add up to one impression: this team is not ready.
If you want UNDP and partners to put you on a national stage, meet them halfway with a clean, thoughtful application.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there cash funding involved?

The call text focuses on support, visibility, documentation, and access to key stakeholders, not direct financial grants. Think of this as an amplification and support opportunity, not a cash prize competition. That said, the connections you gain can directly lead to funding or partnership deals down the line.

Do I need to be a registered company or NGO?

The call mentions startup founders, social innovators, hubs and labs, which suggests both formal and informal entities may be eligible. Registration is helpful but probably not mandatory if you can show serious work, consistent activities, and a credible team. When in doubt, explain your current status clearly in the form.

Can individuals apply, or do I need a full team?

Solo founders can likely apply, but given the complexity of digital safety work, applications that demonstrate a small but committed team (even part-time volunteers) may feel stronger. If you are a solo founder, highlight any advisors, mentors, or partner organisations you work with.

Does my solution have to be purely online?

No. The call emphasises tech or tech-enabled models. That means you can combine tech tools with offline components like legal support, counselling, school workshops, or community mobilisation – as long as technology plays a central role in how you address digital violence.

Can we apply if we are outside Nigeria but working with Nigerians?

The call is explicit about Nigeria-based solutions and young Nigerian founders and innovators. If your organisation is not Nigerian but you work deeply with Nigerian partners, consider whether your Nigerian partners can be the primary applicants, or clarify your structure.

What stage of development is too early?

If you have:

• No prototype
• No pilot
• No users
• Only a concept deck

…you are probably too early. But if you have a basic MVP, a WhatsApp-based pilot, a working prototype in a few schools, or a beta with initial users, you are in the right ballpark.

How competitive is this likely to be?

Any national call under the UN flag that focuses on a hot issue like digital safety will attract serious interest. Assume it will be very competitive and treat it accordingly. That is not a reason to be intimidated; it is a reason to submit your best, sharpest version.

How to Apply and What to Do Next

If this sounds like your kind of opportunity, do not just think, “Nice, I will get to it later.” Put it in your calendar and start now.

Here is a simple action plan:

1. Read this article again with your team. Make sure everyone understands the focus on digital violence against women and girls and the four risk categories.

2. Audit your current solution. List out how your product or model addresses content, contact, conduct, and contract risks. Be honest: where are you strong, where are you still guessing?

3. Gather evidence. Pull together user numbers, success stories, screenshots, feedback messages, or impact snapshots that show your solution is real and useful.

4. Draft your answers offline. Use a shared document to write clear, concise responses about your problem, solution, impact, and plans. Get at least one person who was not involved in building your product to read it and tell you what is confusing.

5. Submit early. Once you are happy with your answers, go to the official form and fill it in carefully. Aim to submit at least 48 hours before Friday, 12 December 2025.

Ready to apply? Visit the official opportunity page here:

Apply Now:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSexP_WAZRbDuLxEzAodcHUNJac8yx8v4w7VJq3G8TMNJhbbaA/viewform

If you are already doing the hard work of making Nigeria’s digital spaces safer for women and girls, this call is your chance to step into the spotlight and bring serious partners with you. Use it well.