African countries are set to benefit from Microsoft’s digital infrastructure project that seeks to boost connectivity in Africa. Tech giant’s vice chair and president Brad Smith said the firm’s Airband Initiative will continue to expand through a new agreement with Liquid Intelligent Technologies to connect with internet 20 million people in Africa by 2025.
“This programme will reach a number of markets across Africa including least-developed countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Zambia. Additionally, the partnership will increase the availability of high-speed connectivity in Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, and South Africa,” he said.
Liquid operates Africa’s largest independently owned network with more than 100,000 kilometres of fibre stretching across the continent.As part of a push to grow the digital economy in Africa, Microsoft announced an initiative with the International Organisation of Employers and partner Synapse to train 5,000 youth and women entrepreneurs in the DRC, Lesotho, Senegal and Uganda for 20,000 people, using LinkedIn and Microsoft training conten“The entrepreneurs will learn digital, business, and employability skills. In addition, as access to the internet expands, more resources will be needed to defend both a growing digital ecosystem and the people learning their way around the web,” the firm said, noting that “One critical piece of our skills for jobs programme is focused on helping grow the cybersecurity talent pool including in Africa through free access to LinkedIn cybersecurity courses.” Microsoft said it will also assist in growing skills in agriculture that forms the economic backbone of poor countries.