Access Bank strengthens commitment to upskill  African youths

By Cynthia Ezekwe

 Africa’s leading retail bank, Access Bank plc,has relentlessly made efforts to improve employment opportunities for African youths and facilitate tech talents by upskilling young Africans through its Advance Africa project.

Advance Africa project is a brainchild of Access bank, which was launched in 2021, with the objective of training 20,000 African youths in digital and tech related skills, to enable them carry out innovative projects that proffer solutions to real-world problems, and enhance technological development in the continent.

The project has a major goal to retain 400 of the top performers, after each training cohort, to  help  reduce unemployment across the continent.

The first two cohorts of the Advance Africa project received over 18,000 and 13,000 applications respectively, with 5,000 participants selected across each. Following the training exercises, a combined 549 individuals have been able to earn a foundation Nanodegree and a further 200 going on to earn an Advanced Nanodegree.

The project  has thus far impacted individuals in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Rwanda, Guinea, Zambia, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, Cameroon, and Congo (DRC), thereby paving the way for youths to be digitally trained in countries  where Access Bank operates.

Speaking on the purpose of establishing the project, Daniel Awe, head of the Africa Fintech Foundry, said: “We have identified that there is a scarcity of skilled digital capabilities in Africa. This, coupled with the increased local and international competition for available human resources, means that this skill gap has been widened even further. Hence, with Advance Africa, Access Bank aims to develop the next generation of doers who will challenge the status quo with their tenacity, curiosity, and ever-evolving imagination.’’

He also noted that youths who participate in the training will get first-hand knowledge from specialists, which will help them build a progressive career in technology,and enable them to rake in millions afterwards.

Speaking on the impact of  the training, Cecilia Bassey, one of the beneficiaries of the Advance Africa project, disclosed that the programme was a great opportunity for  her to discover and hone  her  skills.

I am indeed privileged to be an intern in the Fintech unit of Access Bank which has widened my knowledge of the tech world; the Advance Africa programme has exposed me to opportunities to kickstart a career in product design and I am eager to keep up-skilling and contributing to solving problems,’’ she added.