In a strategic partnership with ALX Africa, the Patoranking Foundation has launched its $500,000 (approx. NGN700 million) tech scholarship initiative which aims to provide 40 young tech-passionate Africans with access to a variety of technology programs in data analytics, cloud computing, and Salesforce administration.
The foundation has invested over $1 million (approx. NGN1.4 billion) in youth education in Africa over the past six years. However, the introduction of a $500,000 tech scholarship marks another frontier in the foundation’s mission.
The scholarship is open to promising tech-savvy candidates across Africa between the ages of 18 to 34. Candidates will be required to complete the ALX admissions process and only 40 will be selected after a review of the individual application videos and essays.
The shortlisted candidates will participate in training programs, and develop in-demand tech skills sought after by leading global employers. As part of their scholarship, they will have the opportunity to qualify for internship opportunities with leading tech companies to bridge the gap between theory and real-life practice.
According to the founder of Patoranking Foundation, Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie (better known by his stage name Patoranking) said the foundation is dedicated to advancing Africa through education and entrepreneurship.
“We have done this by providing academic scholarships to exceptional African students at all levels,” he said. “Now we partner with ALX Africa to announce technology scholarships.”
“ALX Africa shares our commitment to empower tomorrow’s leaders via access to advanced digital skills that are critical to future employability and entrepreneurship,” said Okorie. “This step takes us closer to our goal of equipping one million Africans within the next 10 years.”
Celebrated educator and entrepreneur Fred Swaniker, Founder of ALX Africa, believed that the partnership will help them empower tech disruptors and innovative community leaders with the most in-demand hard and soft skills for problem solving within and beyond Africa
“In today’s world of artificial intelligence (AI) and Big Data, young people need to be prepared for uncertainty, they need to be agile and adaptable,” remarked Swaniker. “ALX’s tech programs have been built around our belief in the importance of reimagining and redesigning skills training to meet the challenges and opportunities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”
The Patoranking Foundation has leveraged strategic partnerships to provide promising young leaders access to leading educational institutions under its Sky Level Initiative. In 2020, the foundation awarded full scholarships to 10 scholars from 8 African countries, including Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and Liberia, to enable them to study at the African Leadership University (ALU) in Rwanda or Mauritius. At the primary and secondary education level, 170 young pupils are currently on scholarship in five leading schools in Ebonyi state, Nigeria.
Through its concerted efforts, the foundation hopes to create a ripple effect of change by empowering the youth to become architects of their futures and catalysts for progress within their communities.
