As part of this year’s Ecobank Day, the Pan-African bank has embarked on a 3-year ‘Transforming Africa Through Education’ campaign, which it kicked off with a focus on digital education and equipping children and youth with the digital skills they need for the jobs of tomorrow.
According to the bank, the campaign is consistent with its deep belief in the transformative power of digital technology for a more inclusive future in Africa
The Ecobank Day is the bank’s flagship social impact event.
“Ecobank Day reflects the giving spirit of all 14,000 Ecobankers across the Group. For 10 years, it has allowed us to manifest our commitment to making a positive impact in the communities we serve. This year, we focus on digital education, which is critical for Africa to leapfrog and accelerate its development. For several years, Ecobank has embarked on a journey of digitalization – consistent with our deep belief in the transformative power of digital technology for a more inclusive future in Africa. It is only natural that on this Ecobank Day, we have supported the launch of a series of training programmes and provided the necessary infrastructure to offer basic digital education to youth across Africa,” said Jeremy Awori, Chief Executive Officer of Ecobank Group, said.
Ahead of the Ecobank Day celebrations, Ecobank Foundation, in partnership with the Global Partnership for Education and UN Women, organised a webinar entitled ‘Igniting Africa’s Digital Future through the Power of Coding’. The webinar was well-attended with over a thousand participants, and featured experts and the youth, discussing the importance of ensuring that all African children and youth have access to digital skills, mostly coding and programming, that are essential for jobs of the future and a fulfilled life.
Ecobank’s affiliates across 33 sub-Saharan African countries continue to hold a range of activities to raise awareness and knowledge of the importance of digital skills for Africa’s children and youth. These activities include creating or equipping IT Labs, refurbishing schools, providing youth digital skills training workshops, partnering with schools to improve digital facilities, mentoring initiatives and more.
Ecobank Day has supported a wide range of causes over the years since 2013. These have included Education for Young People in Africa (2013); Malaria Prevention and Control (2014); Every African Child Deserves a Better Future (2015); ICT education in Schools and improving maternal health (2016); Safe Water Management (2017); Orphanages (2018); Cancer (2019); Diabetes (2020); Mental health (2021) and financial literacy and financial inclusion (2022).