eBusiness Weekly
Business Writer
Zimbabwean youths could benefit from leading pan-African banking group, Ecobank’s digital skills development targeting the continent’s youths under its “Transforming Africa Through Education” campaign.
Ecobank’s affiliates across 33 sub-Saharan African countries, continue to hold a range of activities to raise awareness and knowledge of the importance of digital skills for Africa’s children and youths.
Digital skills are seen as a prerequisite to meet the digitalisation plans that should help in the transformation of African economies. Zimbabwe has also identified technology and digitalisation as enablers for optimising operations and hence achieve growth.
Ecobank celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Ecobank Day, its flagship social impact event, last Saturday, October 21, 2023.
To mark the occasion, Ecobank launched a three-year ‘Transforming Africa Through Education’ campaign, which it kicked-off with a focus on digital education and equipping children and youths with the digital skills they need for the jobs of tomorrow.
The programme targets children and youths in Sub Saharan Africa, Zimbabwe included.
“Ecobank Day reflects the giving spirit of all 14,000 Ecobankers across the group. For 10 years, it has given us an opportunity to manifest our commitment to making a positive impact in the communities we serve.
“This year, we focus on digital education, which is critical for Africa to leapfrog and accelerate its development. For several years, Ecobank has embarked on a journey of digitalisation – consistent with our deep belief in the transformative power of digital technology for a more inclusive future in Africa.
“It is only natural that on this Ecobank Day, we have supported the launch of a series of training programmes and provided the necessary infrastructure to offer basic digital education to the youths across Africa,” Ecobank Group CEO Jeremy Awori said.
Ahead of the Ecobank Day celebrations, Ecobank Foundation, in partnership with the Global Partnership for Education and UN Women, organised a webinar entitled ‘Igniting Africa’s Digital Future through the Power of Coding’.
The well-attended webinar with over a thousand participants and featured experts and the youths, discussed the importance of ensuring that all African children and youths have access to digital skills, mostly coding and programming, that are essential for jobs of the future and a fulfilled life.
These activities include creating or equipping IT Labs, refurbishing schools, providing the youths with digital skills training workshops, partnering with schools to improve digital facilities, mentoring initiatives and more.
