14 May 2025

Humana People To People Botswana (HPPB) in partnership with Orange Foundation will on May 15 launch the Humana Digital Career Centre, a youth career development initiative which will be located at Macheng Brigade in Tshane.

Speaking in an interview, HPPB Digital Centre Manager, Mr Alex Kerekang said the programme was a collaborative initiative between the two organisations and was aimed at building capacity of youth within the Macheng community by equipping them with essential digital and career development skills, thereby enhancing their personal and professional growth. In that regard, he said they had provided a fully equipped fabrication laboratory, in which they would be able to conduct hands-on training sessions in web and application development and in digital design.

“Through this fabrication lab we shall be able to host workshops and innovation challenges to encourage creativity and problem-solving amongst our participants as these sessions are meant to provide mentorship and business development support to youth interested in digital entrepreneurship,” he said.

Mr Kerekang said the programme was designed to empower the community to have skills through the training and skills that would be acquired at the centre, and further support them to establish their own businesses.

“This initiative will enable participants to create, innovate and produce goods and services that are in demand within their communities, thus being equipped with skills to start their own businesses and seek employment opportunities in the digital sector,” he said.

He explained that the programme would go a long way in addressing challenges of unemployment, based on the fact that currently there were lesser prospects of acquiring employment, especially for the youth.

“We deemed it critical to introduce this programme as digital skills training is essential for youth in rural areas as it can enhance their employability and entrepreneurship opportunities,” he said.

Mr Kerekang further noted that the programme shall empower youth with knowledge and skills to create digital products, services and applications that addressed local community trends. He said the intention was to bridge the digital divide by making modern technology accessible to youth in remote areas, adding that they were aimed at fostering collaboration between individuals, businesses and organisations to drive innovation and social impact.

He shared that the first batch of 32 students had been enrolled into the three months programme, which consist of three modules namely, Digital Designs and Printing, Digital Information Communication and Technology and Entrepreneurship.

Mr Kerekang noted that at the completion of the course learners would be able to combine the acquired skills and utilise them in their own businesses, as they would be conversant in basic skills such as website programming, creation of mobile applications, and 3D printing, which he said learners would be introduced to. He added that learners would also be taught word processing which would equip them with skills to be able to process proposals that met the requirements of CEDA and Youth Development Fund.

“The programme is free and open to individuals, businesses and organisations from all sectors and backgrounds. However, priority will be given to out-of-school youth aged 15 to 35 in the five main villages of Kgalagadi North namely; Hukuntsi, Lehututu, Tshane and Lokgwabe,” Mr Kerekang said.

He said the programme was targeted at the entire community though preference would be given to Form 3 and Form 5 school leavers and to tertiary institutions graduates who were keen to open their own businesses.

Mr Kerekang implored the community to take advantage of the initiative by availing their time to learn. Providing a background of HPPB, he said the entity, a local socio-economic development non-governmental organisation formed and registered in 2001, works in partnership with disadvantaged communities to combat poverty and social injustice. He indicated that provision of the programme fulfilled HPPB’s mandate of building a well-informed community which was capable of overcoming societal challenges and fostering sustainable development. ENDS