African Child Academy

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Regions Reached

Expected Beneficiaries

Centers Registered

Instructors Reached

INTRODUCTION

The United Republic of Tanzania has recognized the transformative potential of digitalization and the importance of leveraging digital technologies to advance social, business and public sector operations. As outlined in the National Five-Year Development Plan 2021/22 – 2025/26 the country aims to become a regional digital hub, contributing to sustainable and inclusive development. However, the digital sector currently accounts for only about 1.5% of the nation’s GDP, indicating the need for deliberate efforts to grow this sector.

In light of these considerations, African Child Projects proposed an African child academy providing access to the Digital Skills for Inclusive Digitization project in Tanzania. The project addresses the digital skills gap and foster digital inclusion, ultimately contributing to the country’s digitalization agenda, economic growth, and improved livelihoods for its citizens by providing equal access to digital skills to 5,000 Tanzanian community members by 2024.

Project Objectives

Address critical aspects of digital empowerment within Tanzanian society. The project offers accessible and comprehensive digital skills training to Tanzanian citizens, ensuring the acquisition of the essential skills necessary to engage in the digital economy actively.

Bridging the digital divide by placing a particular emphasis on marginalized and underserved populations, including women, youth and rural communities at large, ensuring that they enjoy equitable access to digital education and resources and the project aligns with Tanzania’s broader digitalization agenda by empowering individuals and businesses with the knowledge and tools needed to harness digital technologies effectively, thereby contributing to the nation’s growth and development in the digital age.

Endeavoring to create a more inclusive and digitally capable Tanzanian community, fostering economic opportunities and social progress for all.

Target Beneficiaries

The project’s focus on inclusivity and equity is reflected in its primary target beneficiary groups.

Its focus is based on the Tanzania community members taking into account the community members who are in and out of the school system.

The beneficiaries are in the following categories:

Empowering Tanzania youth, students,young adults and adults who are ready to enroll, equipping them with digital skills that enhance employability and prepare them for promising careers in the dynamic digital economy.
The project also recognizes the importance of gender equality in the digital realm and specifically targets women and girls to bridge existing gaps in digital skills. By promoting digital inclusion among this demographic, the project aspires to create a more balanced and diverse digital landscape and, it extends its reach to rural and underserved communities, ensuring that even those in remote areas regardless of their age gain access to vital digital education and resources.
By narrowing the urban-rural digital divide, the project endeavors to promote equal opportunities for all Tanzanians, regardless of their geographical location.

Expected Outcomes

The project aims to achieve the following outcomes:

Increased digital literacy among target beneficiaries, enabling them to use digital tools and technologies confidently.
A reduced digital divide, particularly between urban and rural areas and among different demographic groups.
Enhanced employability of project participants, with increased access to job opportunities in the digital sector.
Improved digital capacity within the public sector, facilitating more effective government digitization initiatives.

Project Implementation

The project will collaborate with Local Community Organizations, Educational Institutions (i.e Secondary Schools, Universities, and IAE), like-minded CSOs, Community Digital Skills Training Centers, and individual Partners with expertise in Digital Skills Training. The project will be implemented in all regions around Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar Island.

The implementation activities will include:

Needs assessments to tailor training modules to the specific needs of target beneficiaries.
Recruitment and training of facilitators and mentors.
Digital skills workshops, outreach programs, and capacity-building initiatives.
Providing access to digital resources and support materials.
Monitoring and evaluation to measure progress and impact.

Program Activities will include but not limited to

Learning courses offered by Cisco Networking Academy platform named Skills for All.
Study Tours – placement of beneficiaries in organizations and companies where they will learn more on industry needs.
Boot camps – where beneficiaries can meet and work together with other centers
Digital Hackathons and product building challenges.
Competitions on arranged topics to beneficiaries
Building Competence of Centers through participation in various activities, forums, discussions.

Conclusion

The Digital Skills for Inclusive Digitization project is crucial to advancing Tanzania’s digitalization agenda. By equipping community members with essential digital skills, fostering inclusion, and supporting digitization efforts, this project aims to empower individuals, bridge the digital divide, and contribute to economic growth and development. We invite all stakeholders and potential partners to join us in this endeavor to create a more digitally inclusive and prosperous Tanzania.

Together we join hands with other stakeholders and the Ministry of ICT, towards pushing Tanzania and its people towards digital excellence, thus, bridging the digital divide.