Smart Africa, MTN sign MoU to advance digital skills in Africa

Smart Africa and MTN have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to advance digital skills in Africa in an effort to develop the capacity for Africans to utilise ICTs and be fully empowered participants of an ICT-driven economy and society.

1 Nov 2022

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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-specialised training that will increase digital proficiency across our member states. This is a testament to our bold and innovative multistakeholder approach.”

“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 mostly consumers to producers of ICTs,” said MTN Group chief sustainability and corporate affairs officer, Nompilo Morafo.