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Microsoft initiative encourages African youth to drive sustainable economic growth

More than half a million young people in Africa have benefited from the CSI initiative from Microsoft. (Image source: Star for Life)

Microsoft YouthSpark, a worldwide initiative to provide economic opportunities for 300mn young people over the next three years, has been rolled out across Africa

The programme includes Corporate Social Investment (CSI) and other company programmes, which aims to provide enough jobs for young people in the continent.

“It is a sad reality that while young Africans are more literate than their parents, more of them remain unemployed,” said Djam Bakhshandegi, CSI programme manager at Microsoft in Africa.

“At the core of our YouthSpark and other CSI activities is our belief that relevant innovation holds the key to unlocking the answers to our most pressing challenges in the region.

“Through YouthSpark, in sub-Saharan Africa alone, we have already reached more than half a million young people and made US$1.1mn worth of software donations to non-Government-organisations.”

An estimated 200mn youth in the continent are aged between 15 and 24 in Africa, representing more than 60 per cent of the continent’s total population and accounts for 45 per cent of its growing labour force.

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