French telecom giant Orange S.A. said Tuesday it plans to train more than three million young Africans in digital skills by 2030 as part of an expanded strategy aimed at tackling unemployment and boosting entrepreneurship across the continent.
The announcement was made during the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, where Orange outlined a broad youth employment initiative centred on technology training, startup support and job creation.
The company said the programme would focus on equipping young people with skills in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, cloud computing and entrepreneurship through free training and certification programmes.
Orange said the initiative forms part of its wider digital inclusion strategy, which seeks to position technology as a driver of economic growth and social development in Africa.
“To support Africa’s youth means investing in the continent’s future,” the company said in a statement, describing young Africans as the region’s “greatest asset”.
As part of the expansion, Orange plans to open 50 additional Orange Digital Centers, bringing the total number of the facilities across Africa and the Middle East to 100 by the end of the decade.
The centres provide free access to digital training, coding workshops, business incubation and career support services for young people.
Orange also said it would strengthen partnerships with more than 167 universities and online learning platforms, including Coursera, to improve access to digital education and ensure training programmes better match labour market demands.
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Youth unemployment remains one of Africa’s biggest economic challenges despite the continent having one of the world’s youngest and fastest-growing populations.
According to the African Development Bank, millions of young people enter the labour market each year, while formal job creation struggles to keep pace.
Orange said it intends to bridge part of that gap by combining digital skills development with entrepreneurship support.
The telecom group plans to support more than 500 startups by 2030, building on previous programmes that have already assisted more than 400 startups across Africa.
The supported businesses operate in sectors including financial technology, healthcare, agriculture and e-commerce.
