Group photograph of dignitaries at the launch of the Skills Academy
THE MTN Foundation has launched its maiden Skills Academy, a platform designed to empower youth to bridge the digital skills gap.
This initiative designed by the company’s vision of leading digital solutions on the African continent will leverage technology and partnership to build and scale up skills that will primarily benefit unemployed youth in Ghana.
Addressing journalists in Accra, Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer, MTN Ghana, Adwoa Afriyie Wiafe, said the skills academy, the first of its kind in the country, was initiated to complement the construction of a $25 million ICT hub in Accra, aimed at creating jobs and driving socio-economic development.
According to her, the skills academy, which is in line with the company’s corporate social investment and strategic framework, targets to train some 100,000 youth in digital skills and job placement by 2025.
These beneficiaries, who should be aged 15 to 24 years, would be taken through career guidance, digital and financial skills training, job placement requirements, job readiness, and mentorship with assistance from a partner ICT hub in Accra.
Ms. Adwoa Afriyie further indicated that the selected hub would assist in the recruitment of unemployed youth to sign up for the courses offered by the skills academy programme.
“MTN Foundation Skillsnow has invested in ICT centres, investing in robotics, digital libraries as well as another education programme. I hope the beneficiaries will take advantage of this platform to showcase their talents and skills to the benefit of the country,” she added.
Head of Npontu Technologies Limited, Dr. Stephane Nwolley Jnr., said with the rapid pace of technological advancement, which is reshaping job markets globally and creating new categories of employment that did not exist a decade ago, MTN Ghana had seen the need to partner with ICT hub with the establishment of the Skills Academy to bridge the digital skill gap in the country.
He advised that the MTN Skills Academy should not be seen as impacting skills but rather cultivating a mindset of innovation and entrepreneurship and creating a culture where technology and skills were not just used but formed an integral part of everyday lives.
BY Prince Fiifi Yorke