NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 7 – Deloitte Africa in conjunction with Deloitte Netherlands has launched a venture dubbed, Africa Talent, that seeks to connect Africa’s talent to global work opportunities.
The two firms have injected R25 million(Sh172.4million) into this pilot project that aims to recruit graduates with limited work experience as well as those without any employment.
The venture also aims to recruit school leavers who have potential but lack the opportunity to pursue tertiary education.
Commenting on the launch of the venture, Deloitte Africa Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ruwayda Redfearn noted that there is a need to invest in the youth population in Africa to address the challenges the continent faces such as shortage of the needed skills.
“Africa has the youngest population in the world and an immense opportunity to tap into this resource by investing and empowering the youth to reach their full potential. Africa Talent will expose the continent’s graduates to skills and opportunities they may otherwise not have had,” said Redfearn.
He further noted that the programme will also help to address the high level of unemployment among graduates in addition to creating hope for the generations that follow in Africa.
The Africa Talent programme aims to tap into Africa’s youthful, large population that keeps growing, via hybrid and remote working technology to service the talent needs in areas like Western Europe which are characterized by an ageing working population.
“For Deloitte Netherlands, Africa Talent provides us with the access to a high-quality skills pool that fits the needs of our clients. This initiative demonstrates the power of the global Deloitte network to drive innovative working models that better meet the demands of our dynamic world,” said Hans Honing, CEO of Deloitte Netherlands.
The graduates recruited will be trained in data analytics, consulting, cyber security and other tech-related skills. They will also be offered work in areas including financial and regulatory risk, sustainability and internal audit.
This pilot phase of the venture intends to recruit graduates in South Africa and across Sub-Saharan Africa as well.
