By Ben Onyasimi
Microsoft Corporation and the International Youth Foundation (IYF) have unveiled a joint programme that targets to use information technology to build capacities of young entreprenuers in Africa.
Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and Tanzania are among countries set to benefit from the deal.
Announcing the partnership, chief executive and President of IYF, William Reese said the cooperation was part of their long-term commitment to use technology, training and partnerships to transform education and foster local innovation.
Reese said through the use of the technology, jobs and opportunities will be created to sustain a continuous cycle of social and economic growth for the estimated 5 billion people who are yet to realise benefits of technology.
Modelled on the IYF’s umbrella programme dubbed “Entra 21”, he said, the partnership will focus on a youth empowerment programme that aims at improving employability prospects of disadvantaged African youth, aged 16 to 35.
Through targeted high-quality information and communications technology (ICT) and other skills training, he said Microsoft Corporation was determined to creating employment opportunities to the youth, to boost local economies.
Already, he said, the organization had provided training and job placement assistance to 20,000 youth in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Noting that the consequences of youth unemployment in Africa are severe, the official said the implementation of the youth empowerment programme, which in its initial stages, aims at reaching and changing lives of some 40,000 young people and offer an opportunity for the private sector to cohesively work together with the public sector and lobby groups to address youth unemployment.
“To enable sustained economic growth, it is imperative to accelerate skills development and help employers find qualified candidates,” said Orlando Ayala, senior vice president of the Microsoft Emerging Segments Market Development Group. “Sub-Saharan Africa is facing an untenable situation as one-in-five young people are unemployed.” Reese said, “We look forward to working with Microsoft to adapt one of our already successful employability programmes to the needs of young people in Africa and to share best practices that we’ve gained in this critical field of youth employment.”
Microsoft and IYF have been partners since 2000, working together to promote youth employability and education initiatives in Asia, Latin America, and North Africa. Supported by a (US) $1 million grant, technology and training expertise from Microsoft, the programme aims to develop tailor-made solutions to identified needs in local markets and combine ICT training with life-skills and entrepreneurship training.
Source: Kenya Times
