The world is facing a talent and labor shortage in key sectors, with the digital and tech industries looking towards Africa as an emerging hotspot for skilled digital talent. To help address this issue, ALX, a division of African Leadership International (ALI), has launched four new accessible tech programs for 2023. These programs, namely Data Analytics, Data Science, Salesforce Administrator, and AWS Cloud Practitioner, in addition to new cohorts for its world-class Software Engineering program, are valued at between $7,500 – $39,750 in Africa and $14,500 – $79,500 in Europe and North America. In partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, ALX can offer eligible candidates access to these programs at no cost.
ALX aims to expand its community of highly skilled professionals with qualifications that will keep evolving with the demands of the digital economy. The new programs have been developed in response to the global AI revolution and the high demand for Data Scientists and Data Analysts, along with the drive to hire people with cloud computing skills, recognized as the most in-demand hard skill in the tech market. The Salesforce ecosystem is also set to create more than 9 million jobs by 2026.
Founded by Fred Swaniker, one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2019, ALX is connected to an innovative ecosystem of institutions with a collective mission to harness Africa’s abundant human capital by developing two million ethical and entrepreneurial young leaders from the continent by 2030.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) Human Capital Index indicates that Sub-Saharan Africa currently only captures 55% of its human capital potential, compared to a global average of 65%. Moreover, Africa, with the youngest population worldwide, is expected to have a workforce of 1.1 billion by 2035, surpassing that of China and India. This is why industry leaders are looking to Africa for the next wave of big tech talent.
According to ALI CEO and founder, Fred Swaniker, “Investing in African digital skills and innovation-driven learning is the best way to turn African potential into best-in-class excellence.” Many of the tech programs require no prior experience or background in IT. ALX aims to transform the future of Africa by creating a new generation of agile digital leaders for the 21st century, enabling them to prepare, launch, and grow their careers in high-growth industries.
Having enrolled over 100,000 students since it began scaling its career acceleration programs in 2021, ALX aims to build a new community of tech talent and invest in digital leaders that will power the future. People who wish to enroll in the courses or find out more about ALX can visit www.alxafrica.com.
With the launch of these new tech programs, ALX is poised to help bridge the skills gap and enable Africa’s youth to access world-class courses in the most in-demand technology fields. This initiative will not only benefit African youth but will also enable the world to address the predicted talent shortfall of over 85 million people by 2030.
