The digital centre first opened its doors last November as part of a strategy by Orange Botswana to help equip the youth in the country with digital and entrepreneurship skills in order to keep with the times and foster greater digital inclusion. All the 150 graduates went through the different programmes at the Centre and had the liberty to choose from Coding, Digital Embroidery and Digital Manufacturing. Officials from the mobile company said the Centre was part of its efforts to curb unemployment and the courses were offered free of charge, while also not requiring candidates to have previous qualifications to participate.
Gaborone Mayor, Austin Abraham hailed the graduates and Orange for the initiative, when speaking at a ceremony last week. “The seed that was planted over seven months ago has now germinated into 150 graduates,” he said. “These young ambitious people grabbed the opportunity with both hands when it was presented to them.” The mayor implored more corporates to extend a helping hand to assist the graduates where they could. “Today as we witness the graduation of these exceptional individuals, we must acknowledge the immense potential they hold. “They are not just graduates; they are architects of our digital future as they have skills, knowledge and passion to drive innovation and solve the complex challenges facing our country and our society,” he said. For her part Orange’s director of legal and corporate affairs, Lepata Mafa-Nthomola said the first cohort is a testament to the company’s mandate to equip the youth with skills. “The first ever graduation ceremony is a validation of our commitment to fostering digital inclusion and technological advancement in Botswana and we are immensely proud of the students who have successfully completed their programmes in coding, digital embroidery and digital manufacturing,” she said.
