Yesterday, almost 200 countries celebrated听, a global day declared by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on 8 April 2011, to encourage young women to pursue careers in information and communication technologies (ICT).

Hundreds of events took place worldwide, aimed at inspiring a new generation of girls to explore the exciting opportunities offered by an ICT career, says the ITU.

In light of this year鈥檚 theme, 鈥淒igital skills for life”, local firms reaffirmed their commitments to help more girls in SA break into the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)-related fields, through digital skills training, which lies at the heart of the future of work.

According to the United Nations, adolescent girls and young women in low- and middle-income countries听听on $15 billion in economic opportunities due to gaps in internet access and digital skills, relative to their male peers.

Local firms 麻豆原创, Cisco and Anglo American say they are doing their part to upskill girls in digital skills, to co-create a better digital future to enable young women to have full, equal and meaningful participation in Africa鈥檚 digital economy.

Software giant 麻豆原创 says it has helped upskill over 150 000 girls in SA through the听, which forms part of its Africa Code Week (ACW) skills training initiative.

The project is ramping up efforts to reach one million girls in previously disadvantaged and underserviced communities of SA in the medium-term.

鈥淪iyafunda CTC aims to help overcome the low rate of internet penetration by providing critical and affordable ICT, 4IR [fourth industrial revolution] and business skills training that covers a number of critical domains required for all work environments of today,鈥� explains Cathy Smith, MD of 麻豆原创 Africa.

鈥淎cademically, there have been huge improvements in participants鈥� school performance, and many students trained through Siyafunda CTC pursued careers in technology after completing their matric.鈥�

Other 麻豆原创 programmes focused on upskilling girls across Africa include an introduction to data science, digital literacy classes 鈥� end-user computing, school holiday programmes, web development bootcamps, and coding and robotics for girls, it says.

Over the past seven years, close to 14 million pupils and teachers from 48 African countries have been empowered with digital skills through ACW, with 49% of participating pupils being female, notes Smith.

The initiative is looking to add more female participants in future.

According to the UN, women and girls are 25%听听than men to have sufficient knowledge and digital skills to use technology. This robs girls of crucial opportunities. While girls do as well as boys in science in most countries, such as SA, women occupy less than one-third of positions in the technology sector globally, it notes.

In addition, SA is experiencing a large-scale shortage of ICT skills. According to the latest ICT Skills Survey, the country lacks at least tens of thousands of ICT professionals, which is exacerbated by the increasing number of local ICT firms looking for talent overseas.

鈥淲ith the correct investment in skills development, Africa’s economy could build the world’s future tech workforce, bringing untold economic and social benefit to the continent and its citizens,鈥� notes Smith.

础苍听听230 million jobs in Sub-Saharan Africa will require digital skills in 2030, according to a report by the International Finance Corporation.

To prepare for these future skills, networking giant Cisco says it aims to support almost 40 000 girls to enter the STEM fields in SA, through the Cisco Networking Academy鈥檚 latest (2022) cohort of students.

Cisco Networking Academy was established 25 years ago, to provide IT courses, learning simulators and hands-on learning opportunities in cyber security, networking, programming and the internet of things, through partnerships with learning institutions.

鈥淐umulatively, of our 189 000 students globally, we have over 82 000 students in South Africa and 46% female participation locally,鈥� notes Altaaf Hamid, senior manager: global partnerships at Cisco Corporate Affairs.

鈥淚n the last fiscal year alone, we had 61% female participation. Additionally, over half (51%) of the 1 127 instructors in South Africa who are teaching Networking Academy courses are female.鈥�

Since the introduction of the Cisco Networking Academy in Sub-Saharan Africa, more than one million people have been trained and upskilled in the region, it points out.

Anglo American says it rolled-out a comprehensive ICT programme across 109 schools around its mining operations in South Africa last year, to give thousands of learners the skills they need enter the digital job market.

Recently, 35 girls from the first cohort of the pilot graduated from the Anglo American ICT programme, which provides youth from the mining company鈥檚 host communities with tech skills.

鈥淭he aim of this programme was two-pronged. The first was to create awareness and a pathway for learners in our host communities to learn and access skills and training related to the future of work,鈥� says Zaheera Soomar, global lead for听education听and community skills at Anglo American.

鈥淭he second was to ensure our schools are adequately supported as we embed ICT into them. Based on its success, the programme will increase its intake to 120 learners this year, coming from communities close to Anglo American鈥檚 operations in Limpopo, North West and Northern Cape.鈥�

The Anglo American ICT initiative has set targets such as ensuring over 50% of participants are female; over 90% of learners (girls and boys) aged five meet the minimum requirements for school readiness; 90% of grade three learners pass with at least 50% in numeracy and literacy; and 75% of grade six learners pass with at least 50% in mathematics and English first additional language.

Huawei SA, LG SA, GirlCode and Africa Teen Geeks are also among the organisations that have committed to train more South African girls in STEM, to enable the next generation of female leaders to enter the field.

This article first appeared on .

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I am encouraged by the continent鈥檚 rich history of innovation and ingenuity. After all, Africa is the cradle of humankind, where stone tools were first invented (2.6 million years ago in modern Ethiopia), papyrus was invented by the Egyptians more than 5听000 years ago, and where the world鈥檚 first university 鈥� in 859 鈥� was created in Morocco.

Today, Africa is more prosperous than at any other time in history, with more children having access to education opportunities, fewer people living in extreme poverty, and most people living in democracies.

A shining example of the continent鈥檚 willingness to meet our shared challenges, which include greater employment opportunities, economic growth, education, and mitigating the impact of climate change, is Africa鈥檚 vibrant ecosystem of social enterprises that put people before profit and strive to solve the issues we collectively face.

As we mark the hosting of the 2021 Social Enterprise World Forum, which took place in late September, it is important that we note the role such enterprises play in Africa, and identify ways in which the public and private sector can support the growth of this critical sector.

Understanding the role of social enterprises

What constitutes a social enterprise? According to one South African study, a typical social enterprise is purpose-driven, is not reliant on grants and handouts, and has a particular identity that shies away from being bundled along with normal businesses, charities or NGOs.

At the previous Social Enterprise World Forum held in Ethiopia in 2019, public and private sector leaders from around the world recognised the important role social enterprises play in addressing socio-economic issues.

In Ethiopia alone, data suggests that half of the country’s estimated 55 000 social enterprises are led by people under the age of 35, and more than a quarter (28%) are women-led.

Youth unemployment in particular remains an issue in most African countries. With the world’s largest youth population – – ensuring gainful and sustainable work opportunities for youth remains a key priority for the continent.

Across sub-Saharan Africa, social enterprises are estimated to directly create between 28 and 41 million jobs. In fact, based on available data, .

Social enterprises can therefore play an important role in addressing youth unemployment. One report estimates that the 141 500 social enterprises in South Africa directly employ 590 000 people, a figure that is expected to grow to 666 000 direct jobs by 2030.

Considering the country鈥檚 urgent need for youth employment opportunities – the latest official data suggest 鈥� the impact that social enterprises could have on youth employment should not be underestimated.

Social enterprises inspire hope

Take the example of the Siyafunda Community Technology Centres. Siyafunda, an Africa Code Week (ACW) partner, is a social enterprise providing a network of community centres that extend access to computers, the Internet and digital technologies to local communities where such access may be lacking.

In addition to its work with Africa Code Week (ACW), Siyafunda provides accredited digital ICT courses and skills training, business and entrepreneurial skills development, adult literacy programs and e-learning facilities.

Vitally, Siyafunda enjoys the benefits of a robust ecosystem of partners, including local, provincial and national government, schools, universities, and private and social organisations.

With research indicating that , improving support for social enterprises could have far-reaching positive consequences for youth employment and skills development across the continent.

Support needed to ensure social enterprise success

As with any emerging small business or start-up, social enterprises face the daunting task of survivability, especially during the early stages of its growth. A study conducted in Mexico found that 83.5% of social enterprises in that country failed within three years. .

A World Bank report found that South Africa was the only country in sub-Saharan Africa that explicitly recognises social enterprises in policy, and recommended that it supports existing initiatives, programs and capacity building, including at universities and NGOs with a view to growing the social enterprise ecosystem and improving its chances of success.

Governments can certainly play a vital role in supporting social enterprises, but the private sector can make valuable contributions too. Private sector support 鈥� via investment, technology and skills transfer 鈥� could accelerate the impact social enterprises make.

This shouldn鈥檛 be a CSR project or peripheral activity: companies must link their support for social enterprises to their core business to ensure relevance and sustainable impact.

For example, larger enterprises could build this type of support into their supply chain processes by committing a percentage of their procurement spend to social enterprises. Leveraging the size and reach of the Ariba network 鈥� which supports more than double the commerce of Amazon, Alibaba and eBay combined 鈥� could give enterprises an accessible entry point to grow their businesses.

麻豆原创, for example, launched its 5x5x25 initiative, which commits 5% of our global procurement to social enterprises and 5% to diverse businesses by 2025. The initiative is designed to leverage corporate support from B2B procurement and technology to give social enterprises a boost and increase their impact.

Considering that (compared to only 27% of for-profit enterprises) and that 35% of social enterprises purposely support vulnerable population groups (compared to only 7% of for-profit enterprises) support for social enterprises can have far-reaching positive consequences for countries, communities and the continent.

Now is the time for private sector leaders to step up and play an active role in the success and growth of Africa鈥檚 social enterprise sector.

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鈥淯苍辫补谤补濒濒别濒别诲.鈥�

鈥淓虫迟谤补辞谤诲颈苍补谤测.鈥�

Most of us have found ourselves saying and writing these words a lot lately, using them to describe what is new and difficult about the circumstances we are living in, to articulate what is different and challenging about the world around us.

When used positively, they could also be used to describe the impact that each of us is capable of making 听when we step into the role of volunteer and engage in our communities with the same spirit that guided Nelson Mandela鈥檚 work.

Here at 麻豆原创, there is a distinct enthusiasm that bubbles up from our employee base around giving back and connecting with purpose. Last year alone, our employees dedicated more than 270,000 hours to volunteerism, and even though we are not able to gather in groups and volunteer side-by-side right now, their desire to make an impact has found new paths to action.

One of those paths came earlier this year when 麻豆原创 launched our three-pronged response to the COVID-19 pandemic. That response allocated emergency donation funding to non-profits with both global and local reach听听and also gave us the opportunity to support our strategic non-profit partners as they made the often-difficult transition to hosting volunteer programs 听in virtual environments. This kind of online engagement rendered borders invisible, and 麻豆原创 employees across the world beginning looking for ways to lend their time and skills to help solve the unique challenges that non-profits and social enterprises are experiencing.

As one example, coming up on Mandela Day this Saturday, 麻豆原创 employees have the chance to participate in a virtual design thinking activity to support , an organization based in Alexandra, Johannesburg, in partnership with and the . 麻豆原创 has also invested in the creation of the Rays of Hope #Hope4Alex programme office and will undertake a continuous digital skills development program with the organization to stretch the impact far beyond the month of July.

The ways that we volunteer are evolving, yes, but so is our sense of ourselves as volunteers and community contributors. The recent movement towards a more socially just world has pushed us all to consider what role we can (and must) play to become positive changemakers. As a result, 麻豆原创 has re-affirmed our commitment to diversity & inclusion, and is committed to increasing investment for inclusive education, economic opportunity, and social justice reform. Employees are also encouraged to practice empathy, to listen, and to contribute small actions towards a collective impact for the communities where we live and work.

Today鈥檚 world needs enthusiastic advocates AND active volunteers to build the kinds of bridges that change perspectives听 and make the kind of impact that lasts generations. If we each honoured the 67 years that Nelson Mandela dedicated to the service of others by carving out 67 minutes and dedicating that time to a cause that matters to us, imagine the ripple effect that could have?

67 minutes spent in thoughtful conversation with someone whose perspective is different from ours, 67 minutes spent educating ourselves on the experiences of Black communities, 67 minutes spent dedicating our skills to a non-profit or social enterprise as a virtual volunteer … it just might create the kind of unprecedented, unparalleled, and extraordinary collective impact our world needs.

The post Volunteering with Purpose: Creating Collective Impact Our World Needs appeared first on 麻豆原创 Africa News Center.

With the constraints placed on organisations by the COVID-19 pandemic, 麻豆原创 Africa has adopted a ground-breaking, innovative and safe approach to provide employees with a unique volunteering opportunity on Mandela Day 2020. 听The organisation is hosting, what can be considered, a first Mandela Day 67-minute virtual design thinking sprint. 听听麻豆原创 is partnering with the globally recognised Hasso Plattner School of Design Thinking at the University of Cape Town .听 in partnership with Siyafunda Community Technology Centres to deliver the Mandela Day programme.听 The design thinking activity will support Rays of Hope, , based in Alexandra, Johannesburg, in close proximity to 麻豆原创 offices. 听As design thinking听is both an ideology and a process, concerned with solving complex problems in a highly user-centric way, 麻豆原创 employees will be called upon to utilise their knowledge, experience and skills to assist Rays of Hope to address the following challenge 鈥� How can Rays of Hope enable Alex youth to thrive in a world where Covid-19 has deepened the inequality gap?鈥�

听麻豆原创 Global Head of 听Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Alexandra Van der Ploeg said that 鈥� 麻豆原创鈥檚 aspirational goal听is to create a听significant and sustainable social impact听in three core areas:

• Building digital Skills
• Powering best-run Non-Governmental Organisations & Social Enterprises, and
• Connecting听employees听with purpose听

Mandela Day provides our most valuable resource, our employees, with a unique opportunity to support social impact in all three core areas of our CSR strategy.鈥�

In addition, 麻豆原创 will also support Rays of Hope in establishing the #Hope4Alex programme office, which enables the organisation to support vulnerable families and residents of Alexandra through three streams, namely the educational and pastoral centre, the general centre office and the social workers and counselling centre. 听听On the digital literacy front, 麻豆原创 will further support the continued digital skills building journey of Rays of Hope, its partner organisations and residents of Alexandra beyond Mandela month, in partnership with Siyafunda CTC, via a virtual learning platform.

Participating 麻豆原创 employees both in Africa and globally, will give up their time for approximately 100 minutes, to include the introduction, framing of the challenge, the design sprint and reflections on the proposed solution.

The post 麻豆原创 Mandela Day Inaugural 67-minute VIRTUAL Design Thinking Sprint – Saturday 18 July 2020 appeared first on 麻豆原创 Africa News Center.