MTN To Expand its Skills Academy Programme Across its Key Markets in Africa
MTN has revealed plans to expand its MTN Skills Academy across its operating companies in Africa.
The online platform known as MTN Skills Academy was launched back in 2022 to develop people across the continent as producers, consumers and innovators of digital technologies.
The programme has already been launched in Uganda as well as Zambia.
Of sub-Saharan Africa’s 200 million young people, around 38 million are not in any form of education, employment or training. This number is rising, and young women are more than twice as likely to be affected as young men, according to the International Labour Organization. The Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development says that 60% of youth and adults must have at least a minimum level of proficiency in sustainable digital skills by 2025. In Uganda, it targets to empower at least one million youths by 2025 and will be rolled out through MTN’s corporate social responsibility arm, the MTN Foundation.
According to MTN Uganda Chief Executive Officer, Sylvia Mulinge, it seeks to address the critical gap between digital skills training and job placement.
“As MTN, we are committed to driving digital solutions for Africa’s progress. With the launch of the MTN Skills Academy in Uganda, we aim to equip the country’s youth, who are at the forefront of digitalization, with the necessary skills to advance the digitalization agenda and drive the nation’s progress,” She said.
In Uganda, the programme has been launched in partnership with the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, the National ICT Innovation Hub, American Tower Cooperation (ATC), and Huawei.
The programme aims to provide access to digital and financial skills training across Africa. By bridging the gap between high demand and low supply, MTN says it hopes to increase digital skills and increase employment opportunities.
In Uganda, the first cohort of 185 youths graduated last week, armed with practical skills in digital technologies to provide innovative ICT solutions for their communities.
MTN says it remains steadfast in its dedication to supporting youth and delivering digital solutions for Africa’s progress, believing that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected life.
Together with various public and private sector partners, the MTN Skills Academy focuses on: digital solutions to make career guidance accessible to all young people; access to free online 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.
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