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The Rockefeller Foundation at the World Economic Forum in Cape Town last week, announced the official launch of its ‘Digital Jobs Africa initiative’. The foundation has pledged $97 million in the digital scene in Africa as part of its ongoing initiative to create jobs for young Africans in the rapidly growing information and communications technology (ICT) sector in the continent.
According to the foundation, the fund would be aimed at impacting one million lives in six African countries. The investment will impact people who would not otherwise have an opportunity for sustainable employment through jobs and skills for youth in the tech sector. Countries to benefit from the pledge include Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, Ghana and Morocco.
“We will leverage the rising demand from African-based organisations, governments moving to e-government using digital tools, and multinational corporations, to create sustainable employment opportunities, which is a win-win for all, cutting costs in many cases by 40%, while increasing incomes for workers by 40% to 200%,” said President of the Foundation, Judith Rodin.
The Digital Jobs Africa initiative builds on three years of the Foundation’s existing work and will focus on high potential youth who lack access to jobs and economic opportunities. The initiative, led out of the Foundation’s Africa Regional office in Nairobi, Kenya, will continue on for the next 7 years and leverage significant funds and support from other stakeholders the organization said.
The Foundation will work in close partnership with other stakeholders – private sector, government, civil society and the development community – to leverage significant funds and align complementary programs in order to achieve the impact goal.
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