SmartCIC and Maxim Nyansa Foundation: Empowering African Women Through IT Skills

Global connectivity and field services solutions provider SmartCIC joined forces with Maxim Nyansa Foundation, a non-governmental organization dedicated to raising funds and mobilizing volunteers for training underprivileged young Africans.

The primary objective of this partnership, initiated at the close of 2023, is to empower women in developing African countries by equipping them with valuable IT skills and certifications.

The ambitious initiative focuses on reaching out to women in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Gambia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.

Residential training centers have already enrolled between 16 and 18 candidates each, providing opportunities for women to acquire high-value IT skills and certifications.

SmartCIC, in collaboration with the Maxim Nyansa Foundation, leverages the NGO's established network in Africa to conduct training bootcamps.

Seasoned IT engineers and technical teams facilitate the training, supplementing it with hands-on experience using second-hand IT hardware equipment.

The partnership also has plans to offer microfinancing to support women-led African IT businesses in the near future.

Catherine Hemingray, Sales Director and Co-Founder of SmartCIC, expressed a strong belief in the moral and social responsibility of companies to give back to the community.

In an interview with ITNews Africa, she emphasized the unique approach of the partnership with Maxim Nyansa Foundation as a form of social governance.

Hemingray highlighted the common practice of companies entering Africa without contributing to the local communities and stressed the need to integrate social and moral obligations into business expansion strategies.

She stated, "The partnership we have with Maxim Nyansa Foundation is a form of social governance that myself and co-founder Toby Forman have always been compelled to want to put into place. With our expansion of IT services into Africa, we felt a social and moral obligation to be giving something back."

As a step towards environmental responsibility, SmartCIC addresses the issue of e-waste, recognized as the fastest-growing solid waste stream globally by the World Health Organization.

In 2019, approximately 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste were produced, with only 17.4% formally collected and recycled.

To align with environmental objectives, SmartCIC donates its used IT equipment to Maxim Nyansa for integration into their training programs. The company also encourages its carrier partners to contribute any unwanted hardware to support this sustainable initiative.

Eva Sgroi / IT News Africa