INJAZ Al-Arab, a member of Junior Achievement (JA) Worldwide, the world’s largest non-profit business education organization, has announced a partnership with Microsoft to empower over 200,000 North African youth.

The initiative was announced during an event today, which highlighted the importance of digital skilling through an interactive panel discussion on“The role of technology and Digital skilling in today’s and tomorrow’s job market”.The panel welcomed a delegation of North African Member Nations, including Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt, in addition to senior leaders from Microsoft.  

With over 230 million jobs predicted to require digital skills in Africa by 2030, according to the International Finance Corporation (IFC, World Bank), the partnership will focus on cultivating and empowering a tech-capable generation, as well as equipping them with all latest trends in technology to enhance their employability & entrepreneurship skills.

Commenting on the partnership, Akef Aqrabawi, President & CEO of INJAZ-Al Arab, said: “We are delighted to collaborate with Microsoft on this educational initiative, that embodies our core values of empowering the youth of today. Since our inception we are proud to have reached over 4 million youth, and as digitalization continues to transform the world we live in, it is imperative that our youth develop the necessary skillsets to create future impact.”

Ghada Khalifa, Regional Director Microsoft Philanthropies noted: “Unprecedented digital transformation coupled with global unprecedented situations are rapidly reshaping the way we work and live. At Microsoft, we are committed to supporting people at every stage in life- whether students in schools – youth in and out of college – or today’s IT Professionals to achieve more by skilling, upskilling and reskilling them and leading a better quality of life.”

“Microsoft is committed to helping every person and organization in the region prepare for the digital revolution. We know that the journey is a long one, but we believe that through a combination of partnerships, trainings, real-world experiences, and online classrooms, we can build a knowledge-based economy that leaves no person behind and enables both future and current workers to realize the promise of technology,” Ghada concluded.

The partnership model will be tailored to serve the need of youth in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan, Mauritania, and Libya, with Microsoft enriched INJAZ Al-Arab programs to be delivered throughout the academic year.

Programming will be spread across a range of educational levels, targeting middle school through to post graduate students from the ages of 12-24, through strategic partnerships with academic institutions, as well as low-income workers and female-based start-ups within the region.

This collaboration falls under the global Microsoft initiative that aims at helping 25 million people worldwide acquire the digital skills needed.  Microsoft and through the collaboration with INJAZ Al-Arab, will reach around 200K youth in North Africa, upskill their competencies and help them better understand the skills needed for the jobs in-demand. The training programs will be offered in a hybrid model, either as a supplementary material to existing INJAZ programs, or as standalone training programs.

Additionally, participants will have access to INJAZ Learn, a new online learning platform being developed through the partnership that will serve as an educational one-stop-shop for digital, entrepreneurship, and employability skills.