By Patrick Onwumere, Director of Youth Enablement, Microsoft 4Afrika
For students around the world, no matter background or location, access to quality education can be challenging. In Africa, it’s usually even tougher. And, when it comes to obtaining a tertiary level qualification, the barriers to entry can seem insurmountable to many young Africans.
These barriers are a huge concern, not only because it means many students aren’t able to follow their career path of choice, but because they impact whole societies. Developing countries require the high-level skills, specialisation, and analytical skills that come with individuals trained at tertiary level. These skills help drive local economies and economic competitiveness in today’s knowledge economy.
This is why I’m so excited about the launch of the Microsoft 4Afrika Scholarship Program, whichwill provide mentorship, leadership and technical training, certification, university-level education, and employment opportunities to promising African students. Through the 4Afrika Initiative and YouthSpark program, we’ve made our intention clear: to help millions of Africans get critical skills for entrepreneurship and employability. And this Scholarship Program is another example of our strategy in action.
It is fitting that the 4Afrika Scholarship Program, as well as the Program’s first partnership with the University of the People (UoPeople), was officially announced on International Youth Day. Through the UoPeople program, which is the first of what will be several participating higher education institutions, 1000 deserving African students will receive 4Afrika Scholarships. These scholarships will help equip students with the skills to follow a rewarding career path and become valuable contributors to society.
The University of the People is a non-profit online institution, offering associate degrees in Computer Science and Business Administration. Both men and women can apply for the Scholarship Program, but we would like to see these scholarships increase the number of women in these subject fields – so we are encouraging lots of young women to apply.
Students who wish to apply for the first 4Afrika Scholarships to the University of the People must be at least 18 years of age, have a high school diploma and be proficient in English, as the Program’s coursework is English-language. Applications can be submitted on the following site: www.uopeople.org/4afrika. The first 4Afrika Scholarship students will begin classes in November 2013.
We are looking forward to expanding this program over time, so I encourage all young people to stay tuned for more opportunities that could benefit them by following us on the Microsoft Africa Facebook page, or on @MicrosoftAfrica on Twitter, or checking out www.youth4afrika.com.