In response to the pressing issue of job creation, the Thales Solidarity charitable fund and Polaris Asso, in partnership with the Embassy of France in Senegal and UN Women, are teaming up to launch a new programme to help young Senegalese women pursue digital careers.
The six-month programme combines the expertise of various associations to give scholarship recipients the best possible chances of entering and remaining in the labour market, either as employees or entrepreneurs, and to develop their skills as local leaders.
In addition to the main programme sponsors mentioned above, other organisations including OpenClassrooms, Talent2Africa and the Senegal Youth Consortium (Consortium Jeunesse Sénégal, CJS) are also participating in the initiative.
Executive Director of Polaris Asso, Ousseynou Gueye, says the initiative is a major innovation for French-speaking Africa. “This programme is designed to train young Senegalese women in digital technology and encourage the new talents Africa needs for its development.
“Through this programme, we are giving them the tools they need to play an active role in the digital transition the country’s economy needs to achieve sustainable growth.”
During their training, scholarship recipients will learn about the importance of digital citizenship and volunteer to lead digital education workshops for local middle and high school students.
They will also contribute to the development of the local economy through tutoring projects and hands-on internships where they can apply the skills they learn in their training and acquire professional experience in women-led SMEs.
“Thales has made a clear social commitment to promoting the inclusion of women. We are therefore very honoured to participate in this professional integration project through the Thales Solidarity charitable fund.
“We would like to support these young women by giving them skills and teaching them to become digital citizens so they can make a difference in Senegal and beyond. This initiative reflects the Thales purpose of building a future we can all trust,” says Roselyne Cartheron, Director, Thales West and Central Africa.
Through this programme, we are giving them the tools they need to play an active role in the digital transition the country’s economy needs to achieve sustainable growth.
