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Vodacom empowers Africa's youth with digital skills training, bridging the gap for a future-ready workforce. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Vodacom Group has partnered with technology providers to provide young people on the continent with access to digital skills as part of its commitment to driving digital literacy for Africa’s next generation

Together with AWS, Microsoft, Skillsoft and other collaborating organisations Vodacom aims to bridge the digital skills gap across eight African countries and upskill 1million young people by 2027. The Vodacom Group Digital Skills Hub is available in South Africa, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Mozambique, Lesotho, Egypt (Talimy), the Democratic Republic of Congo (VodaEduc), and in Kenya (Industry Digital Talent Program) to empower the next generation of digital innovators, enabling Africa’s digital society and leveraging existing e-learning platforms in the respective markets. According to the International Finance Corporation (IFC), over 230 million jobs will require digital skills in Africa by 2030, yet the continent faces a significant gap in supply and demand for digital expertise.

“The African continent is plagued in many countries with high levels of unemployment, gender inequality, income disparity and limited access to education, healthcare and essential services. These challenges inform our purpose and drives our strategy to connect for a better future, leveraging digital technologies to drive inclusion into the future for the betterment of people. The launch of the Digital Skills Hub is testament to our commitment to pioneering the path to a digital and more inclusive Africa,” commented Shameel Joosub, Vodacom group CEO.

The Vodacom Digital Skills Hub provides access to self-paced, digital skills training for those aged between 18 and 35. This is in addition to Vodacom Group’s existing free, e-learning platforms across its markets. E-learning and digital classrooms have made it possible for students in remote or underserved areas to access quality education with platforms such as Talimy in Egypt, e-Fahamu in Tanzania, VodaEduc in the Democratic of Congo (DRC), Faz Crescer in Mozambique and an e-learning platform in South Africa, providing a wealth of online resources, which cater to different learning needs.

“We are extremely excited about this initiative which seeks to inspire the next wave of digital innovators. Our main aim with this initiative is to not only address the digital skills shortage on the continent but to also nurture a pipeline of young talent and in turn advance Africa’s digital future, boosting opportunities for empowerment in an inclusive digital economy,” added Matimba Mbungela, chief human resources officer at Vodacom Group. The Vodacom Digital Skills Hub is designed to empower the next generation, to consider a career in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and entails fun and engaging practical digital skills training for young people on the continent. AWS Educate is one of the first programs to be offered through the Digital Skills Hub and an additional program to Vodacom’s various existing online learning platforms. AWS Educate offers beginners an extensive library of self-paced online training that covers a range of topics from cloud fundamentals to artificial intelligence and machine learning.

“With over 400 million young people between the ages of 15 and 35 in Africa, the continent has the youngest population in the world. Digital is the new currency, it is therefore imperative that we invest in them and provide them with the necessary digital skills that will not only boost their growth and development but that of the continent too,” concluded Joosub.

Eutelsat and Q-KON strengthen LEO services, advancing high-speed internet access for underserved communities in Sub-Saharan Africa. (Image source: Q-KON)

Eutelsat Group has signed a new multi-year agreement with Q-KON, a leading provider of satellite solutions and services, to extend Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite coverage throughout Sub-Saharan Africa

This partnership aims to accelerate the delivery of high-speed, low-latency connectivity to underserved and specialised communities and businesses, with a focus on Southern Africa.

Unleashing seamless connectivity 

This expanded collaboration builds on the success of Eutelsat’s OneWeb LEO satellite integration into Q-KON’s Twoobii Smart Satellite Services in 2023 and the launch of digital banking services in early 2024. Through this agreement, Eutelsat’s OneWeb network will supply substantial capacity to Q-KON, supporting the growth of Twoobii-LEO and offering enhanced broadband options to address rising demands for reliable, high-speed internet across the region.

The partnership will bolster critical services, including cloud-based applications, remote healthcare, e-learning, fintech, and enterprise connectivity across both urban and rural areas in Sub-Saharan Africa. By merging Eutelsat’s advanced satellite infrastructure with Q-KON’s regional expertise and engineering capabilities, this agreement is set to deliver high-quality internet access with cost-effective solutions to regions beyond the reach of terrestrial networks.

Cyril Dujardin, president of Eutelsat Group’s Connectivity Business Unit, shared, "We are delighted to step up our relationship with Q-KON and we are honoured in the confidence Q-KON has placed in us following our initial successful cooperation. We are excited to continue to work with Q-KON as it leverages cutting-edge satellite network solutions to meet the challenging demands for low-cost, high availability, and trusted services in Africa."

Dr Dawie de Wet, Group CEO of Q-KON, added, “We value our continued partnership with Eutelsat and are excited to take this next step in expanding and scaling-up our LEO satellite services across Southern Africa. This agreement opens up more product flexibility and service differentiation for faster, more reliable connectivity that will empower businesses and support digital transformation across Sub-Saharan Africa.”

Liquid C2’s Secure360 leverages proactive, intelligence-driven strategies to provide comprehensive cyber security solutions for Africa's digital landscape. (Image source: Liquid C2)

Liquid C2, part of Cassava Technologies, a prominent pan-African technology group, has launched Secure360, an all-encompassing suite of cyber security services and solutions crafted to tackle the escalating complexity of cyber threats across Africa

Secure360’s framework covers four essential areas: Governance, Risk, and Compliance; Cyber Threat Assurance; Cyber Defence Services; and Cyber Security Solutions.

Moving beyond conventional, reactive approaches, Secure360 leverages intelligence-driven, proactive strategies that emphasize threat prevention and preparedness over response and remediation, equipping businesses to stay ahead in an increasingly dynamic digital landscape. Its multi-layered, in-depth defense structure allows clients to achieve comprehensive security, protect critical data, reduce risks, and comply with legislative and regulatory requirements.

Oswald Jumira, CEO of Liquid C2, remarked, “Working with clients across the continent, we’ve seen firsthand how traditional, siloed approaches to security are no longer sufficient. African businesses need holistic, proactive defence strategies that integrate AI, machine learning, and advanced threat protection. Secure360 sees our team of experts and consultants working with our customers to develop bespoke end-to-end solutions and services. The result is a powerful cyber security proposition.”

Proactive shield

Secure360 is designed on an “assume compromise” model, proactively addressing all security aspects within an organisation's digital ecosystem. Its approach integrates governance, risk, and compliance with cyber threat assurance, defence, and security solutions to shield against a wide range of cyber threats. This provides layered protection across networks, applications, data, user access, endpoints, servers, mobile devices, cloud, and infrastructure. From initial assessment to continuous monitoring, each security process phase is managed in detail.

A Gartner survey recently indicated that 75% of organisations are consolidating security vendors to streamline operations and enhance risk management. Secure360 aligns with this trend, offering unified security solutions that improve operational efficiency, expedite threat response, and strengthen situational awareness through threat intelligence. This consolidation enhances security management by simplifying visibility and accelerating threat responses.

Positioning itself as a significant player in cyber security for the Middle East and Africa, Liquid C2 is set to introduce several value-added services in the coming year. Businesses can anticipate benefits from Liquid C2’s expertise in cyber defence, secure digital transformation, cost-effective event ingestion, and advanced, compliance-focused assurance with situational awareness-driven reporting.

Over the past two years, through its Cyber Security Fusion Centres (CFSC) distributed across Africa and the Middle East, Liquid C2 has reinforced how data-driven solutions, coupled with in-depth industry expertise, are essential to navigating complex threats while securing and future-proofing organisations within Africa’s evolving cyber landscape.

Teraco’s JB7 hyperscale data centre accelerates digital transformation and sustainable interconnection across sub-Saharan Africa's cloud ecosystem. (Image source: Teraco)

Teraco, a subsidiary of Digital Realty and a leader in interconnection platforms and vendor-neutral colocation data centres, has started constructing a new hyperscale data centre at its Isando Campus in Ekurhuleni, located east of Johannesburg

This new facility, JB7, is backed by an R8 billion (approx. US$440mn) syndicated loan and will feature a 40MW critical power load, reinforcing Teraco’s role as a key provider of data centre services in Africa.

Scheduled for completion in 2026, JB7 is designed with advanced sustainable cooling and water management systems to meet increasing demand from enterprises and cloud providers for data centre space. The expansion will raise the Isando Campus’s critical power load capacity to 110MW, further supporting Teraco’s vision of facilitating digital transformation across Africa by providing secure, resilient colocation solutions.

Jan Hnizdo, CEO of Teraco, commented, “South Africa is a springboard for cloud provision into Africa and, as a result, has become the technology and data centre hub for sub-Saharan Africa. Massive global investments into undersea cables, like Equiano and 2Africa, further strengthen this position. This will enable global cloud providers to service not only the South African market but also the rest of the sub-Saharan African region.”

According to Hnizdo, Teraco is focused on expanding capacity at its core hubs, ensuring clients can scale efficiently and leverage digital transformation across sub-Saharan Africa. “We continue to invest significantly in the region’s ICT infrastructure and have built Africa’s largest data centre platform. We take pride in enabling open access interconnection and providing world-class data centre infrastructure for all our clients,” he added.

Innovative data hub

Located in Ekurhuleni’s Aerotropolis, JB7 is Teraco’s ninth data centre development and an expansion of the Isando Campus. This campus offers access to Platform Teraco, connecting enterprises with over 250 network providers, content delivery networks, subsea cable systems, and direct peering opportunities at regional IXPs like NAPAfrica, Africa’s largest internet exchange point.

The JB7 project is a critical step in supporting sub-Saharan enterprises’ digital strategies and aiding global cloud providers in expanding their reach, fostering innovation in the region. JB7 will feature cutting-edge cooling systems, including a closed-loop chilled water system and direct free-air cooling, designed to achieve optimal power and water efficiency while minimising environmental impact. The advanced systems provide liquid-to-air and liquid-to-liquid cooling to support high-density cloud and AI deployments.

The expansion increases Teraco’s critical power load capacity across all facilities to 228 MW, including the Isando Campus JB1/JB3/JB5/JB7 (110 MW), Bredell Campus JB2/JB4 (63 MW), Cape Town Campus CT1/CT2 (53 MW), and Durban (2 MW).

Funding for the JB7 facility and other projects is supported by an R8 billion syndicated loan from Absa and additional financial institutions, partly allocated to renewable energy initiatives. This financing also supports Teraco’s 120 MW solar PV plant, which will contribute power to Eskom’s network, benefiting multiple municipal grids in alignment with Teraco’s ESG goals.

Organisations accelerating digital transformation rely on Teraco for scalable IT infrastructure, hybrid multi-cloud solutions, and connections within the Platform Teraco ecosystem, aligning with their sustainability objectives. This sustainable strategy provides a distinct advantage in today’s connected world, where secure, efficient interconnection with essential business partners is paramount.