Innovation for Africa: Microsoft introduces 4Africa Initiative (WATCH)

4africa green

 

by Isi Esene

Microsoft 4Afrika Initiative is a new effort through which the company will actively engage in Africa’s economic development to improve its global competitiveness.This is a multi-year initiative that represents Microsoft’s increased commitment to Africa. To do this, it is focusing on three critical areas – world-class skills, access and innovation.

The goal is to empower every African who has a great idea for a business or an application and to turn that idea into a reality which in turn can help their community, their country, or even the continent at large.

Microsoft Corporation has introduced the Microsoft 4Africa Initiative.

The initiative is a new effort through which it will actively engage in Africa’s economic development to improve its global competitiveness.

Through the 4Afrika Initiative, Microsoft is planning to assist in equipping the African youth with tens of millions of smart phones and devices by 2016.

The initiative also seeks to put one million small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Africa online and assist with an additional 100,000 recently graduated people to develop employability skills.

The General Manager for the 4Afrika Initiative, Fernando de Sousa says, “The world has recognised the promise of Africa and Microsoft wants to invest in that promise.”

Growth for Africa
“We want to empower African youth, entrepreneurs, developers, business and civic leaders to turn great ideas into a reality that can help their community, country and the continent and beyond…The 4Afrika Initiative is built on the dual beliefs that technology can accelerate growth for Africa, and Africa can also accelerate technology for the World, De Fernando said.

Microsoft will help place 75 percent of the 100,000 graduates in jobs and also enhance the skills of 100,000 people in Africa’s existing workforce.

Microsoft and Huawei, part of the initiative to increase the adoption of smart devices, will be introducing the full-functionality Huawei 4Afrika Windows 8 phone.

Talks with operators
The General Manager said the phone would first be available this month in Nigeria, Angola, Egypt, Cote D’Ivoire, Kenya, Morocco and South Africa, but the corporation was still finalising this with the appropriate operators.

The Huawei 4Afrika phone is the first of a series of smart devices designed specifically for Africa.

Targets
The mobile phone is targeted at developers, university students and first time smartphone users to ensure that, “they have affordable access to best-in-class technology to enable them to connect, collaborate and access markets and opportunities online,” De Fernando says.

The 4Afrika Initiative will be reportedly connected to Microsoft’s network of approximately 10,000 existing partners, which Microsoft said it has built over a period of more than 20 years through investments and operations on the continent.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in Software, services and solutions that help the people and businesses to realize their full potentials.

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Comments (2)

  1. this is too good to be true,i congratulates the initiators of this great,for still believing in Africa and her populace. I want advice them to ensure that they themselves are the one that will execute this project,instead of giving it to some crooks and rogues with the African or Nigerian syndrome of fixing only their brothers): who know who rather than giving people that really need this thing and merit it. All i am saying is that the right thing should be done. Thank you
    all for such a great initiative. I will be most honoured if i am selected as one of the beneficiaries. God bless u all. My name is Ebeh Emmanuel in unijos,jos nigeria.

  2. i like this initiative. Hope i will be among d beneficiaries

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