Microsoft Corporation on February 5th, 2013 introduced Microsoft 4Afrika initiative, a new effort through which the company wishes to actively engage in Africa’s economic development and improve its global competitiveness.
“By 2016, the Microsoft 4Afrika initiative plans to help place tens of millions of smart devices in the hands of African youth, bring one million African small and medium enterprises (SME) online, up-skill 100,000 members of Africa’s existing workforce, and help an 100, 000 recent graduates develop skills for employability, 75% of which Microsoft will help place in jobs.” – Emmanuel Onyeje, Microsoft West Africa, Manager.
Huawei 4Afrika Smartphone
Microsoft and Huawei introduced Huawei 4Afrika Windows Phone 8 smartphone which will come pre-loaded with selected applications designed for Africa. The phone will initially be available in Angola, Nigeria, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Morocco and South Africa later this month. The Huawei 4Afrika phone, a first in what will be a series of smart devices designed 4Afrika, will be targeted toward university students, developers and first time smartphone users thus providing them with affordable access to best-in-class technology, enabling them to connect, collaborate and access markets opportunities online.
Opportunities for African SMEs
Microsoft announced a new online hub through which African SMEs will have access to free, relevant products and services from Microsoft and other partners. The hub will aggregate the available services which can help them expand their business locally, find new business opportunities outside their immediate geography, and help increase their overall competitiveness. As a welcome offer, Microsoft will open a free domain registration for the period of one year and free tools for qualifying SMEs interested in creating a professional web presence. The hub is expected to open in April initially in South Africa markets.
4Afrika Partnership programmes
The 4Afrika initiative will be tightly connected to Microsoft’s network of more than 10,000 existing partners in Africa today; a network it has built over 20 years of investing and operating in the content. Microsoft, together with their partners, has initiated various efforts in recent months as part of the Microsoft 4Afrika initiative including: AppFactory (South Africa and Egypt), Nokia and Windows Phone user training (Kenya and Nigeria), and Female empowerment portal (North Africa)
