Telecom
Zwart Talent Foundation to Empower Young Africans with Relevant ICT Skills to Enable them Compete in the Global IT Marketplace
Zwart Talent Foundation, a nonprofit organisation that bridges the growing tech talent gap, has launched to train young Africans in relevant Information Technology skills to enable them to participate in the global workforce.
Technology jobs in the United States outnumbered qualified workers by about 3 million as of 2016, according to a report by Randstad NV, a Netherlands-based human resources consulting firm.
By 2030, there will be a global shortage of more than 85 million tech workers, representing $8.5 trillion in lost annual revenue, according to Korn Ferry.
The Korn Ferry report projected that among the economies expected to be hit hardest are Brazil, Indonesia, and Japan, which could face shortages of up to 18 million workers.
The United States and Russia are expected to be short of 6 million workers each, while China could face a deficit of 12 million. There is a serious shortage of tech talents across the world.
Zwart Talent Foundation, an initiative of ZwartTech, in partnership with TBEC Group of Companies, and International Sustainable Education Foundation (ISEF) plans to close this gap by training more than 2,000 young Africans in ICT skills in the next 5 years and connect them to jobs in international companies.
The Foundation will deliver on these objectives via Zwart Academy, Zwart Recruit and Zwart Hub.
The Zwart Academy will train youths in Cybersecurity and Javascript for six months for free. Upon completion of the training program, students go through a one-year internship with Zwart Tech.
Future courses will include PYTHON, Microsoft .NET, PHP/LARAVEL, Graphics Design, UI, and UX Design.
As an edtech cum social impact startup, 70% of admissions into the Academy will be reserved for girls. Meanwhile, applications to join the Academy will open in September and classes start in October.
Zwart Recruit will match top-notch tech experts with international opportunities. The startup has a pool of highly skilled and well-trained IT experts who have completed the rigorous recruitment process and are ready to provide world-class tech services. If you are a senior IT expert, you can apply to join Zwart Recruit.
Nelson Tosin Ajulo, Chairman of Zwart Talent Foundation
Zwart Hub is a tech business incubator that aims to support entrepreneurs to start, grow and scale their business to a world-class level.
Nelson Tosin Ajulo, Chairman of Zwart Talent Foundation, said: “We launched the Zwart Talent Foundation to help Africans quickly combat poverty by giving them the chance to acquire tech skills as well as connecting them to international job opportunities.
“This will enable them to earn more and boost their economic status.
“We have also realised that the quality of ICT education in Africa is inadequate. Considering this, students who join the Foundation will become Junior Developers in less than 3 years compared to attending a university and spending four or five years on the same course.
“Our approach is not only innovative, but it also saves time and will help tackle inequality faster, bridging gaps between social classes. The Academy training program involves a lot of practicals and it is free.”
Telecom
Celebrating African Creativity: Made by Africa, Loved by the World’ Returns for Its Fifth Year
The “Made by Africa, Loved by the World” campaign is back for its fifth year, celebrating African creativity and global influence. This year’s theme, “Where Culture Meets Connection,” highlights how social media fosters conversations around cultural moments worldwide.
The campaign features three cinematic films premiering on the Meta Africa page, showcasing the groundbreaking work and personal stories of six dynamic African creatives.
These artists, from Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa, represent diverse disciplines, including rap, animation, dance, photography, fashion, and videography.
Here are some of the featured talents:
- Ladipoe (Nigeria) – A BET-nominated rapper known for blending global hip-hop with African rhythms.
- Fatboy Animations (Kenya) – An animation studio founded by Michael Muthiga, recognized by Forbes for its original African storytelling.
- Lisa Quama (Ghana) – A dancer who gained fame after appearing in Beyoncé’s “Already” music video.
- Gilbert Asante (Ghana) – A photographer and creative director featured in GQ and Glam Africa.
- David Tlale (South Africa) – A fashion designer whose bold designs have been showcased at major fashion events, including the Met Gala.
- Ofentse Mwase (South Africa) – A filmmaker with over 24 international awards for his unique visual storytelling.
Kezia Anim-Addo, Communications Director for Africa, Middle East & Turkey, emphasized that the campaign not only celebrates individual success stories but also showcases how culture and social media drive meaningful connections and inspiration.
Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), has raised the alarm over a diesel supply crisis caused by an ongoing strike by the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).
Mr Tony Emoekpere, president, ATCON in a statement said that the fuel supply disruption is critically affecting telecom base stations, pushing them to the brink of a shutdown and threatening millions of mobile and internet users in the region.
“This strike, which stems from the persistent harassment of tanker and petroleum product drivers by police officers in Lagos State, has effectively halted all truck loading operations and fuel movements,” Emoekpere stated.
He explained that diesel supply to telecom infrastructure has been severely impacted, leaving critical sites with dangerously low fuel levels.
According to him, if urgent measures are not taken, the situation could escalate into a full-blown network blackout, disrupting essential services, including mobile and internet access, business operations, emergency response systems, and daily communications.
ATCON has called on the governors of Lagos and Ogun states to intervene immediately by facilitating the release of diesel from depots to telecom operators to prevent further deterioration of the situation.
“This is not just a telecom issue—it is a national emergency that could cripple economic activities and compromise public safety,” Emoekpere stressed.
The association also appealed to security agencies and petroleum unions to resolve the crisis swiftly to safeguard Nigeria’s connectivity and economic stability.
ATCON emphasised that a prolonged disruption in fuel supply to telecom infrastructure could have far-reaching consequences for both businesses and individuals who rely on stable communication networks for daily operations.
In 2023, Nigerians spent a total of about ₦5.3 trillion on telecommunications services, which includes calls, data, SMS, and other telecom services, according to the Leadership.
Specifically for voice calls, Nigerians made approximately 408.5 billion minutes of local calls, generating around ₦3.28 trillion from outgoing calls and ₦3.23 trillion from incoming calls, totaling about ₦6.51 trillion in call-related revenue according to projections based on 2023 call volumes and tariff data.
However, the ₦5.3 trillion figure represents the overall telecom sector revenue, with voice calls being a major component but also including data and other services.
For individual spending, MTN subscribers spent an average of ₦2,508 monthly on voice calls in 2023, showing a 14.4% increase from 2022, while Airtel customers spent about ₦1,694 monthly on voice calls.
Total telecom spending (calls, data, SMS, etc.): ₦5.3 trillion in 2023
Estimated revenue from voice calls alone: around ₦6.5 trillion based on call minutes and tariffs
Average monthly spending on calls per subscriber: ₦1,694 to ₦2,508 depending on the network
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