By Myles Illidge.
Vodacom has announced a partnership with the Eastern Cape Development Corporation and technology providers to expand access to digital skills to more young South Africans.
The network operator says the initiative is part of its commitment to enhance digital literacy for the future generation in a province with one of the highest unemployment rates in the country.
“This has moved us to use digital technologies to provide youth from this province with digital skills and training to equip them for the job market in the digital economy,” says Vodacom Eastern Cape managing director Zakhele Jiyane.
“The rollout of the Digital Skills Hub in the Eastern Cape demonstrates our commitment to leading the way towards using our resources to respond to socio-economic challenges.”
In partnership with Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Skillsoft, and other organisations, Vodacom wants to close the digital skills gap across eight African nations and upskill one million youth by 2027.
Its Digital Skills Hub is available in South Africa, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Mozambique, Lesotho, Egypt, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Kenya.
Vodacom says the hub is designed to empower the next generation of digital innovators, enable Africa’s digital society, and leverage existing e-learning platforms.
“This initiative is most relevant for South Africa since the youth aged 15-24 years and 25-34 years continue to have the highest unemployment rates at 62.2% and 40.5% respectively,” it said.
Citing data from Stats SA, Vodacom said 3.6 million out of 10.3 million, or 35.2%, of young people aged between 15 and 24 years were not in employment, education, or training.
“More critically, Black African unemployment rate has consistently been higher than the national average and other population groups over the past 10-year period at 37.1%,” said Vodacom.
Citing data from the International Finance Corporation, Vodacom said that by 2030, over 230 million jobs in Africa are expected to require digital skills.
“There is currently a significant gap between the availability and the need for digital talent on the continent, “it added.
Baphelele Mhlaba, acting executive for economic development and sector support at the Eastern Cape Development Corporation, said the partnership is more than just an investment in digital literacy.
He said it is also an investment in the Eastern Cape province’s long-term social and economic transformation.
According to the Vodacom Group’s chief human resources officer, Matimba Mbungela, the initiative seeks to inspire Africa’s next wave of digital innovators.
“Our main aim is to not only address the digital skills shortage on the continent but to also nurture a pipeline of young talent and, in turn, advance Africa’s digital future,” he said.