MTN Foundation Uganda to Skill 100 Youths in Preparation For The Evolving Digital World

MTN Foundation Uganda launches a Youth Empowerment Skilling Program under its foundation arm of youth empowerment set to benefit at least 100 youths in preparation for the evolving digital world.

The program is focusing on skills that will drive co-creation of innovative digital products and solutions to solve Uganda’s biggest problems in education, youth empowerment, health and agriculture. This comes at a backdrop of the pandemic that has demonstrated the immense need of digitalized systems to keep businesses and communities afloat in times of catastrophic circumstances.

The skilling program is being implemented in partnership with Uganda-based software firm Ubunifu Systems. Ubunifu systems has cut its niche in professional mobile and web development with a focus on innovative, personalized, and fully functional solutions that deliver value and satisfaction.

While addressing the press at the launch of the Program MTN Uganda CEO, Mr. Wim Vanhelleputte said skilling program is one of the many initiatives that the telco has put in place to enable the youth tap into the limitless possibilities of the Fourth industrial Revolution (4IR).

“The youth are a big and essential component in the country’s growth and development. That is why we as MTN have chosen to involve them to stimulate local innovation, which in turn will help them create gainful employment opportunities through community transforming innovations as we enter the new era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” said Vanhelleputte.

Mr. Brian Ssennoga the Team Lead at Ubunifu Systems commended MTN Uganda for starting the skilling initiative and reaffirmed that the program would be transformational.

“This is a great initiative and we are thankful to be partnering on with MTN on this. The program will powersport a new way to innovate especially the commitment to prioritize Digital for Good and access to ICT for Good Knowledge,” said Ssennoga. He adds that the program will tailor a diverse youthful audience providing them with knowledge, skills, and experiences to support building collaborative local solutions that align to the Foundation’s work in Uganda.”

77% of Uganda’s population are youth aged below 25 years with a vast majority of them being unemployed. Therefore, MTN Uganda Foundation through this Youth Empowerment Program is targeting at least 100 beneficiaries ranging from university graduates, innovators and those in SMEs with a mission of inspiring and empowering them towards harnessing the practical application of innovative ICT solutions to solve their communities’ most pressing challenges. The Foundation will invite applications from young innovators in Uganda. Training will commence early next year.

MTN is committed to integrating the youth in its programs. Last year, the telco invited the youth for the MTN Mobile Money Open API challenge, challenging them to develop applications that use MTN MoMo APIs to monetize both consumer and business opportunities digitally. The task was taken on by a number of innovators who executed the challenge successfully and early this year, MTN and Ericsson awarded the winners.