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Africa’s ‘skills of the future’ requires firm partnerships between NPOs, private and pubic sectors
A bilateral deal to set up a Kshs10 billion science and technology institute in Kenya was recently signed in a move that is bound to accelecrate growth and create employment. The deal was signed between the Kenyan government and its South Korean partners, including Samsung Electronics.
Samsung Electronics Engineering Academy provides extensive, hands-on training to learners in the technical field. The programme forms a core part of Samsung’s vision to fast-track the entry of African youths into the electronics job market and to reduce the shortage of scarce skills in the IT industry.
“Our aim is to make sure that every African child get access to education no matter where they are – be it in a rural area lacking infrastructure or perhaps in an existing infrastrastructure but lacks educational resources – by providing access to technology,” said Abey Tau, Public Affairs and Corporate Citizenship Manager for Samsung Electronics Africa.
Samsung sees education as the seed of innovation and we believe digital technology can completely transform the learning process, as well as the nature of teaching and learning, to create inclusive environments for everyone.
Samsung hopes to instill a love of learning in students so that they may have equal access to opportunities and go on to become active participants in the economy.
“We see our efforts – along with those of our government and NPO partners – as an ecosystem. Samsung’s aim is to increase the number of learners accessing technology, an aspect vital to their education process. This in turn allows learners to learn apt skills which will prepare them for the workplace of the future and acquiring in-demand skills is a critical step not only for individual, but also for social and economic development and the upliftment of the continent,” said Mr Tau
“Africa has a beautiful story to tell. And a responsible corporate citizen, Samsung is committed to help write this story through the innovation, expertise and technology we provide,” added Mr Tau.
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Abey Tau is the Public Affairs and Corporate Citizenship Manager for Samsung Electronics Africa. With over 10 years’ experience in the local and global development arena, Abey was a South African finalist in the 2014 Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) / Mandela Washington Fellow and was selected by the National Empowerment Fund as one of 56 young junior managers for a secondment in Paris in 2011. He continues to sit on the Board of AIESEC at Monash University.
