On the side-lines of MWC Africa,
Smart Africa and MTN have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to advance
digital skills in Africa to develop the capacity for Africans to
utilize ICTs and be fully empowered participants of an ICT-driven economy and
society.
The
partnership establishes a digital skills ecosystem between the Smart Africa
Digital Academy (SADA) and MTN Skills Academy to advance digital literacy,
digital and financial skills training, and digital competencies. It seeks to
unlock socioeconomic development by leveraging the power of technology to
empower youth and women and drive social inclusion for all, particularly
differently-abled persons.
According to
the World Economic Forum, some 230 million jobs across the continent will
require some level of digital skills by 2030. With a clear focus on equipping
African citizens with relevant skills, the partnership covers the development
of demand-based skills training and trends, career pathways, occupations, job
roles, skills and competencies for Africa’s ICT sector.
Lacina Koné,
the DG and CEO of Smart Africa, commented: “We are committed to bridging digital
skill gaps across Africa to ensure the inclusive digital development of the
continent. We are confident that the MTN Skills Academy will support us in
accelerating our mission and nurturing an ecosystem of ICT-specialized training
that will increase digital proficiency across our member states. This is a
testament to our bold and innovative multistakeholder approach.”
The Smart
Africa Digital Academy is a pan-African dynamic learning ecosystem that aims
to improve digital skills, qualifications, and employability and meet the emerging
talent needs of African citizens. With a vision to create a single digital
market in Africa by 2030, the Smart Africa Alliance ensures an all-inclusive
digital transformation by building the digital skills of African citizens.
“Through our partnership with Smart Africa, we see the opportunity
to accelerate our efforts to drive job creation, productivity, and
competitiveness through digital skills and technological innovations. This will
go a long way in turning our continent from being large consumers to
producers of ICTs,” said MTN
Group Chief Sustainability & Corporate Affairs Officer Nompilo Morafo.
The MTN
Skills Academy focuses on digital solutions to make career guidance accessible
to all young people, enabling access to free digital and financial skills
training, driving work readiness to enhance employment prospects, and creating
a public and private sector-wide job hub to improve job placement prospects
across the continent.
The
partnership is a testament to the commitment of both Smart Africa and MTN to
integrate ICT into the continents’ development agenda to reduce poverty, create
prosperity and increase productivity on the continent.
