INFORMATION technology multinational, HP, has announced a new commitment to reach 100,000 learners across Africa over the next three years through the HP Foundation’s HP LIFE programme, kicking off the commitment by opening a new tech-enabled HP LIFE Centre in South Africa.
HP’s pledge supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 and furthers the company’s goals to enable better learning outcomes for 100 million people by 2025 and to enrol a million HP LIFE users between 2016 and 2025, as outlined in the HP 2017 Sustainable Impact Report.
By 2030, Africa will be home to 32 percent of the population under the age of 30, and the largest working age population by 2035. Yet, today’s youth unemployment in Africa is up to three times higher than adult unemployment. HP LIFE offers free, online learning for users to gain the skills to start and grow their own business or improve their employment opportunities. Building on the success of this global programme, HP is working with partners to open technology-enabled HP LIFE innovation centres to further support entrepreneurship and workforce development across the continent.
‘We believe that education is a human right, that technology in the classroom is a critical component for a 21st century education, and that in today’s economy our learning is never done,’ said Nate Hurst, Chief Sustainability and Social Impact Officer, HP. ‘Africa is experiencing rapid urbanisation and digitisation—and it’s essential that people have access to learn skills for the work of tomorrow. This new HP LIFE Centre provides a launch pad for innovation and opportunity across the continent.’
In 2017, on the global stage at the Global Citizen Festival in Hamburg, Germany, HP announced a commitment to enabling better learning outcomes for 100 million people by 2025. The commitment to education is a part of HP’s broader Sustainable Impact strategy – a strategy to use the scope, scale and expertise of HP to drive positive, lasting change for the planet, its people and the communities where we live, work and do business.
‘Sustainable Impact is fundamental to our reinvention and core to achieving our vision – to create technology that makes life better for everyone, everywhere,’ said Hurst.