On Tuesday, Microsoft Corp. introduced the first four youth members to
the 4Afrika Advisory Council to ensure the critical voices of Africa’s
large youth demographic are heard.
The Microsoft 4Afrika Advisory Council, announced last October, is an external board of advisers tasked with guiding strategic investments undertaken by the Microsoft 4Afrika Initiative. Microsoft 4Afrika was launched one year ago to facilitate Microsoft’s active engagement in Africa’s economic development. The four youth ambassadors will represent the issues facing Africa’s rural and
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urban youth, including unemployment, education and access to technology.
H.E. Benjamin Mkapa, chairman, Microsoft 4Afrika Advisory Council said
“The Microsoft 4Afrika Initiative will be critical in defining a
framework that other global and indigenous organizations in the ICT
space can adopt to leverage this emerging space and promote economic
development in Africa. We are excited about the induction of the new
4Afrika Advisory Council youth members because it helps the initiative
stay true to the spirit of youth, enterprise and innovation.”
The 4Afrika Advisory Council youth members are:
• Akaliza Keza Gara (Rwanda). An entrepreneur and founder of multimedia company Shaking Sun, Gara is a mentor at open technology hub kLab in Kigali and a member of Girls in ICT Rwanda. Gara is currently setting up an animation studio to create cartoons and films for African children.
• Chude Jideonwo (Nigeria). An award-winning journalist, media entrepreneur and youth development expert, Jideonwo is co-founder and managing partner of RED, an innovative media company that owns The Future Awards Africa, the continent’s premier youth event. Jideonwo also founded Enough Is Enough Nigeria, one of Nigeria’s foremost civic groups, and has been awarded several accolades, including being selected by the World Economic Forum as a Global Shaper.
• Tayeb Sbihi (Morocco). A Moroccan entrepreneur, Sbihi has a bachelor of science, a master of science and an MBA, and he has 10 years of professional experience in multinational companies specializing in new technologies. With a wide knowledge of the telecoms market, he founded his first company, B2N Consulting, offering a wide range of telecom services and solutions to Morocco and Africa.
• Olivia Mukam (Cameroon). A social activist and entrepreneur, Mukam was a student when she helped solve the problem of waterborne diseases in West Cameroon by giving 5,000 villagers access to clean water. She then founded the NGO Harambe to engage Cameroonian youth to be national problem solvers. Thousands of youth were trained with business skills, and the for-profit business that Mukam co-founded, Solutioneurs SARL (LLC), taps into the Harambe database of skills to deliver affordable solutions to small businesses in Cameroon, Nigeria, the U.K and the U.S.
“I’m looking forward to being part of a committed group of African leaders, who are working hard to open up access to opportunities and be part of the transformation story for the continent and its people” says Chude Jideonwo, “ 4Afrika has a huge potential to make a lasting impact, it is exciting to be part of that process.” The youth members were selected from a pool of notable candidates from existing African youth leadership groups, including U.S. President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative, the African Leadership Network, the African Leadership Initiative, the Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellowship Program and the World Economic Forum’s Forum of Young Global Leaders.
The council will meet in person twice annually and will also hold regionally focused meetings throughout the year. “Africa has a relatively young population. This can be either a curse or a blessing. The aim of our 4Afrika Initiative is to unleash the potential of Africa’s youth. Our ambassadors will guide us as we strive to achieve this goal,” said Mteto Nyati, vice chair, Microsoft 4Afrika Advisory Council. The Microsoft 4Afrika Initiative is designed to help Africa improve its global competitiveness and, in just under a year, has successfully launched programs across the continent. Those programs will help the initiative reach its 2016 goal of placing tens of millions of smart devices in the hands of African youth, bring 1 million African small and medium-sized enterprises online, upskill 100,000 members of Africa’s workforce, and help 100,000 recent graduates develop skills for employability. As well, Microsoft will help place 75 percent of those graduates in jobs.
About Chude Jideonwo
Named by Forbes International as one of Africa’s 30 “best entrepreneurs” under 30, Chude Jideonwo’s career is centred around the media – media content, media and communication, and media for development. The editor-in-chief of Y!/YNaija.com and director of The Future Awards Africa; in 2010, he founded EnoughisEnough Nigeria, which has become the country’s foremost good governance group for young Nigerians. A lawyer and award-winning journalist, he has a Master’s Degree in Media and Communication from the Pan-African University. He is Managing Partner of RED, and sits on the boards of the Oando Foundation and Micosoft4Afrika.
The Microsoft 4Afrika Advisory Council, announced last October, is an external board of advisers tasked with guiding strategic investments undertaken by the Microsoft 4Afrika Initiative. Microsoft 4Afrika was launched one year ago to facilitate Microsoft’s active engagement in Africa’s economic development. The four youth ambassadors will represent the issues facing Africa’s rural and
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The 4Afrika Advisory Council youth members are:
• Akaliza Keza Gara (Rwanda). An entrepreneur and founder of multimedia company Shaking Sun, Gara is a mentor at open technology hub kLab in Kigali and a member of Girls in ICT Rwanda. Gara is currently setting up an animation studio to create cartoons and films for African children.
• Chude Jideonwo (Nigeria). An award-winning journalist, media entrepreneur and youth development expert, Jideonwo is co-founder and managing partner of RED, an innovative media company that owns The Future Awards Africa, the continent’s premier youth event. Jideonwo also founded Enough Is Enough Nigeria, one of Nigeria’s foremost civic groups, and has been awarded several accolades, including being selected by the World Economic Forum as a Global Shaper.
• Tayeb Sbihi (Morocco). A Moroccan entrepreneur, Sbihi has a bachelor of science, a master of science and an MBA, and he has 10 years of professional experience in multinational companies specializing in new technologies. With a wide knowledge of the telecoms market, he founded his first company, B2N Consulting, offering a wide range of telecom services and solutions to Morocco and Africa.
• Olivia Mukam (Cameroon). A social activist and entrepreneur, Mukam was a student when she helped solve the problem of waterborne diseases in West Cameroon by giving 5,000 villagers access to clean water. She then founded the NGO Harambe to engage Cameroonian youth to be national problem solvers. Thousands of youth were trained with business skills, and the for-profit business that Mukam co-founded, Solutioneurs SARL (LLC), taps into the Harambe database of skills to deliver affordable solutions to small businesses in Cameroon, Nigeria, the U.K and the U.S.
“I’m looking forward to being part of a committed group of African leaders, who are working hard to open up access to opportunities and be part of the transformation story for the continent and its people” says Chude Jideonwo, “ 4Afrika has a huge potential to make a lasting impact, it is exciting to be part of that process.” The youth members were selected from a pool of notable candidates from existing African youth leadership groups, including U.S. President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative, the African Leadership Network, the African Leadership Initiative, the Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellowship Program and the World Economic Forum’s Forum of Young Global Leaders.
The council will meet in person twice annually and will also hold regionally focused meetings throughout the year. “Africa has a relatively young population. This can be either a curse or a blessing. The aim of our 4Afrika Initiative is to unleash the potential of Africa’s youth. Our ambassadors will guide us as we strive to achieve this goal,” said Mteto Nyati, vice chair, Microsoft 4Afrika Advisory Council. The Microsoft 4Afrika Initiative is designed to help Africa improve its global competitiveness and, in just under a year, has successfully launched programs across the continent. Those programs will help the initiative reach its 2016 goal of placing tens of millions of smart devices in the hands of African youth, bring 1 million African small and medium-sized enterprises online, upskill 100,000 members of Africa’s workforce, and help 100,000 recent graduates develop skills for employability. As well, Microsoft will help place 75 percent of those graduates in jobs.
About Chude Jideonwo
Named by Forbes International as one of Africa’s 30 “best entrepreneurs” under 30, Chude Jideonwo’s career is centred around the media – media content, media and communication, and media for development. The editor-in-chief of Y!/YNaija.com and director of The Future Awards Africa; in 2010, he founded EnoughisEnough Nigeria, which has become the country’s foremost good governance group for young Nigerians. A lawyer and award-winning journalist, he has a Master’s Degree in Media and Communication from the Pan-African University. He is Managing Partner of RED, and sits on the boards of the Oando Foundation and Micosoft4Afrika.
