Sylvia Duruson
Vodacom Group has launched an ambitious digital education initiative targeting one million young Africans across eight countries by 2027. The telecommunications company has partnered with industry leaders Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, and Skillsoft to deliver comprehensive digital training through its Digital Skills Hub.
The program spans South Africa, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Mozambique, Lesotho, Egypt, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Kenya. This initiative responds to the International Finance Corporation’s projection that Africa will need digital expertise for over 230 million jobs by 2030.
Vodacom Group CEO Shameel Joosub addresses the pressing challenges facing African nations, including unemployment, gender inequality, and limited access to education. The Digital Skills Hub aims to leverage technology for inclusive development across the continent.
The program offers self-paced training for participants aged 18 to 35, complementing Vodacom’s existing e-learning platforms. Chief Human Resources Officer Matimba Mbungela emphasizes the initiative’s focus on developing young talent to advance Africa’s digital economy.
AWS Educate features prominently among the initial offerings, providing training in cloud fundamentals, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. The curriculum targets science, technology, engineering, and mathematics skills through practical, engaging content.
This initiative joins other significant digital development programs across Africa. Google recently collaborated with Zambia to establish an Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence at the University of Zambia. The African Development Bank partnered with Intel to provide advanced AI training to 3 million Africans and 30,000 government officials.
Additional partnerships include Microsoft and M-Pesa Africa’s collaboration to digitize skills training for small enterprises across multiple African nations. The Ugandan government’s partnership with the World Bank brought internet connectivity to refugee camps through the Universal Digital Acceleration Program.
The convergence of these initiatives demonstrates growing recognition of digital skills’ importance in Africa’s economic development. These programs address the continent’s digital expertise gap while creating opportunities for youth participation in the global digital economy.
