By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
MTN Group has urged for greater access to digital skills, tools, networks and economic opportunities to
enable Africa’s talent to participate meaningfully in the digital economy as
artificial intelligence reshapes jobs and industries.
The call was made by MTN
Group Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer Nompilo Morafo during
the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Week in New York, where
the telecommunications group is engaging stakeholders on technology, partnerships
and investment in Africa’s digital development.
Morafo joined leaders from
the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Africa, the African Union and
NVIDIA at a session hosted by Timbuktoo Africa and the Global Africa Business
Initiative to discuss the skills, career pathways and jobs Africa will need for
the AI era.
She argued that Africa does
not lack talent, but faces the challenge of ensuring that its people have
access to the skills, tools, networks and opportunities required to participate
effectively in the digital economy.
The discussions come as AI
adoption accelerates globally, creating new demands for technical skills while
also changing the nature of work and the pathways through which people access
employment and economic opportunities.
For MTN, expanding
connectivity is only the starting point in Africa’s digital transformation. The
company says the broader priority is to develop the tools, partnerships and
pathways that can help people translate digital learning into livelihoods and meaningful
economic participation.
The company’s engagement at
UNGA forms part of its broader focus on how technology, partnerships and
investment can help Africa convert its growing digital potential into greater
participation and opportunity.
The discussions also
highlight the importance of connecting skills development with practical
opportunities, ensuring that people who acquire digital and AI-related
capabilities can access networks, tools and pathways into emerging areas of the
digital economy.
