Vodacom named Africa’s top employer

Vodacom Group has been recognized as Africa’s top employer by the Top Employers Institute for the second consecutive year. This prestigious honor has also been awarded to Vodacom Group, Vodacom South Africa, Vodacom Mozambique, Vodacom Tanzania, and Safaricom Kenya

The accolade is based on companies’ performance in key HR domains, including people strategy, work environment, talent acquisition, learning, and employee well-being.

“We are incredibly proud to be certified as the Top Employer in Africa for the second year in a row. We believe that the well-being of our employees contributes directly to our ability to fulfil our purpose of connecting for a better future. By continually enhancing our Employee Value Proposition through empathetic and inclusive policies and practices, we are cultivating a workplace culture where people feel valued, empowered, and inspired to reach their full potential,” said Shameel Joosub, CEO of Vodacom Group.

In 2024, Vodacom expanded its Employee Value Proposition by introducing offerings that underscore its commitment to fostering an inclusive and supportive work environment. Through the principles of Compassion, Acceptance, Respect, and Empathy (C.A.R.E.), the company’s wellness initiatives now include support for all life stages, such as menopause, and an extended family responsibility leave policy.

“Maintaining our position as Africa’s Top Employer once again demonstrates our dedication to enabling our employees to thrive. However, our focus on nurturing talent and career development in the tech industry extends to the millions of young people across the continent who are the future of work. There is an urgent need to prepare the next generation for the rapidly evolving digital economy. To this end, we have launched the Digital Skills Hub, with the goal to equip one million young people in Africa by 2027 by providing access to self-paced, digital skills training for those aged between 18 and 35,” said Matimba Mbungela, chief human resources officer at Vodacom Group.

Developed in partnership with leading tech organizations such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft, the Vodacom Digital Skills Hub is focused on enhancing digital literacy across Africa. It aims to address the digital skills gap in eight African countries, including South Africa, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Mozambique, Lesotho, Egypt, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Kenya.

The Digital Skills Hub is designed to inspire young people to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by offering engaging, practical training. One of the first programs available through the hub is AWS Educate, which complements Vodacom’s existing online learning platforms. AWS Educate provides a broad library of self-paced online training, covering topics such as cloud fundamentals, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.

“As we embark on a new year, we want to encourage young people, whether they’re students, job seekers or aspiring entrepreneurs, to benefit from the Digital Skills Hub. By supporting digital skills training as a Top Employer, we are empowering the next workforce and ensuring that everyone can connect to a better future,” concluded Joosub.