Mind the Gap: Gender Differences in Mobile Technology Use Along Nigeria's Cowpea Value Chain

This paper examines gender disparities in mobile technology access and productive use along Nigeria’s cowpea value chain using a nationally representative survey of nearly 19,000 value chain actors, including farmers, assemblers, wholesalers, and retailers. While gender gaps in basic mobile phone ownership are relatively modest, substantially larger gaps emerge in smartphone ownership and, more importantly, in business-oriented use of mobile technologies. Women are significantly less likely than men to use phones for making or receiving business orders, particularly through app-based or data-intensive platforms, even when they own mobile devices. The findings provide evidence of a “second-level digital divide,” where access to technology does not translate into equivalent economic engagement. The analysis further shows that these disparities vary across value chain segments and regions, reflecting differences in market integration, commercialization, and gender norms. The study highlights the importance of moving beyond access-based measures of digital inclusion and emphasizes the need for policies that strengthen women’s digital skills, institutional support, and productive use of technology in agricultural markets.