Brazzaville ceremony kicks off digital dream
In a bright hall at Bacongo district, Brazzaville, thirty freshly trained young professionals lined up to receive brand-new laptops from MTN Congo’s Skills Academy, a gesture meant to turn classroom theory into daily practice.
- Brazzaville ceremony kicks off digital dream
- MTN’s laptops recognise commitment
- Courses built for tomorrow’s jobs
- Testimonials inspire peers
- Certification and next steps
- Online platform keeps doors open
- Parents and mentors see ripple effect
- Sustainability beyond the classroom
- How to join the next intake
- A broader digital agenda
The executive director of MTN Foundation, Vanessa Tsouma, said the 22 October ceremony rewarded determination shown during months of hands-on courses centred on the digital economy, echoing the operator’s pledge to boost youth autonomy and shrink unemployment.
MTN’s laptops recognise commitment
Tsouma noted that every participant who fought through deadlines and group projects demonstrated “abnegation”, a term she used to salute the late-night coding sessions and design marathons many learners completed while juggling studies, internships or family duties.
The laptops, sleek and mid-range yet powerful enough for design suites and code editors, are supposed to bridge a persistent hardware gap that often pushes talented Congolese graduates to internet cafés or shared devices, slowing their first entrepreneurial steps.
Courses built for tomorrow’s jobs
The last in-person cohort covered six pillars: graphic design, community management, web marketing, web journalism, agropastoral techniques and entrepreneurship, reflecting sectors where Congolese startups already scout talent and where established firms face a skills drought.
Trainers mixed theory with field visits, making participants shoot street interviews for web stories one day then design logos for small food stalls the next, a rhythm many called intense but empowering.
Testimonials inspire peers
Journalism graduate Bigaelle Gatsé Mabouéré lifted her new laptop above her head like a trophy, telling the audience she could finally edit videos at home and chase freelance gigs without booking computer time elsewhere.
“I am very delighted to have been honoured by MTN; this tool will help me apply everything we learned,” she said, drawing applause from classmates already planning collaborative projects in podcasts and agri-marketing campaigns.
Certification and next steps
Alongside the thirty laptop recipients, about four hundred other learners from earlier waves collected printed attestations validating modules completed since early 2023, a milestone many families celebrated as the first official document recognising their digital literacy.
For MTN Congo, the graduation line proved the viability of a model combining free local classes with the larger online Skills Academy platform launched across Africa by the telecom group, according to Tsouma.
She reaffirmed MTN’s commitment to equip young Congolese with tools to create their own jobs rather than wait for them, an approach aligned with national strategies promoting entrepreneurship and digital inclusion.
Online platform keeps doors open
The in-person cycle now closed, graduates retain access to an online library of video tutorials, quizzes and mentorship forums that can be explored on their smartphones with subsidised data bundles offered by MTN Congo.
Many already log in nightly to polish Adobe Illustrator shortcuts or exchange code snippets, building a virtual community that organisers hope will reduce dropout rates and spark joint ventures across Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire and provincial towns.
The platform also alerts members to internships, hackathons and micro-grants, turning the laptop gift into the first step of a longer accompaniment rather than a one-day celebration.
Parents and mentors see ripple effect
Parents in the audience praised the model for keeping youths engaged in constructive activities after school hours, noting a growing self-confidence that spills into family businesses where websites and social pages are suddenly refreshed.
Local mentor and web entrepreneur Armel Mavoungou observed that participants now speak the language of analytics and SEO during community meetings, an encouraging sign that the city will soon generate its own pool of consultants instead of importing expertise.
Sustainability beyond the classroom
While the programme’s future cohorts are being scheduled, organisers say they will look for partnerships with local municipalities to take modules closer to peri-urban districts where transport fares often deter attendance, aiming for a model both inclusive and scalable.
Funding remains crucial, but Tsouma insists corporate social responsibility budgets are more impactful when invested in skills than in short-lived donations, a stance applauded by educators searching for sustainable bridges between school curricula and market needs.
How to join the next intake
According to the foundation, candidates can create a free profile on the Skills Academy portal, upload proof of residency and a motivation letter, then wait for screening calls; priority goes to applicants aged 18 to 35 with basic computer literacy.
Successful learners should expect eight weeks of intensive classes followed by project demos open to local investors, a formula designed to turn training centres into small job fairs where skills and opportunities meet in real time.
A broader digital agenda
Observers place the initiative within Congo’s broader digital transformation agenda, which emphasises affordable internet, local content creation and smart agriculture; programmes like MTN Skills Academy supply the human capital required to translate that vision into everyday services.
With thirty laptops dispatched and hundreds of certificates framed, the ceremony closed on a hopeful note, cameras flashing while graduates promised to connect the unconnected across the Republic of Congo, one graphic, post or business plan at a time.
