Samsung Electronics Africa announced on Thursday in Johannesburg that it will be launching satellite villages in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania this year.
The launch of the digital village is to bolster its Corporate Citizenship efforts in Africa in a bid to help the continent achieve its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Speaking at the 2016 Samsung Africa Forum, Abey Tau, Corporate Citizenship and Public Affairs Manager, said: “As a global citizen, we felt it was important to use our technology to give back to society. We do this in four ways: by creating new learning opportunities so that young people can enjoy access to better education; by using our technical expertise to develop and provide access to new healthcare solutions; by supporting youth employment through vocational training and skills development; and by reducing our impact on the environment.”
According to the World Bank, sub-Saharan Africa accounts for more than 50 percent of all out-of-school children worldwide, which affects their future employment opportunities. The dire situation faced by many African countries is a result of a number of factors, including civil unrest, cultural beliefs and a lack of schooling infrastructure and resources. It is against this backdrop that Samsung Electronics Africa has adopted an attitude of innovation by introducing technology where it previously had not existed. The aim is to make sure that every African child has access to education no matter where they are on the continent, using state-of-the-art digital technology enjoyed by children in developed countries.
Its Solar Powered Internet Schools, Smart Schools and E-Learning Academies provide solutions that deliver on this vision and improve the quality of learning, enhance teaching effectiveness and allow administrators to run institutions more effectively. The company said that it is working with educators around the world to improve learning experiences through the use of technology, facilitating a classroom environment that is limitless and gives students access to a world of knowledge from their desks or on the go. Through these education initiatives, Samsung hopes to instill a love of learning in students so that they may have equal access to opportunities and go on to become active participants in the economy. This can help to reduce the number of out-of-school children, giving them a chance to succeed.
Earlier this month, Nigerian president, Muhammadu Buhari, attended the launch of a Smart School in the state of Ogun, and this is a continued drive access to education initiative in East Africa along with Ghana and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In 2013, Samsung announced it was finalizing a deal on opening assembly plant partnering with Metal and Engineering Corporation (MetEC) in Ethiopia to expand its East Africa market.
