The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, announced today that Canada is contributing $15.3 million over four years (2015-2019) to improve the lives and futures of young people in Africa through a project aimed at reducing poverty by encouraging economic prosperity.

The Digital Livelihoods: Youth and the Future of Work at Scale project, being delivered in partnership with Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT), is part of the Government of Canada’s commitment to refocusing assistance towards poverty reduction and to creating jobs and business opportunities for unemployed and underemployed youth. This project will focus on youth living in eight African countries (Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, and Zambia), six of which are Commonwealth member countries.

The emphasis will be on equipping young people with the skills and education they need to use information and communications technology to start new businesses, secure jobs, and access financial products and services. Up to 200,000 young people will benefit from the project. This is in line with the digital Commonwealth vision and activities seeking to enhance the capacity of individuals and empower youth through the possession of digital skills.

Key activities of the project include:

• Leadership training for young people;
• Delivery of entrepreneurship, information-communications technology, and workforce readiness programs; and
• Development and curation of self-directed online learning for youth.

DOT, headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, and with local operations around the world, is a leading international social enterprise. The organization focuses on building global networks of talented young leaders who create real change by educating local communities in how to apply technology effectively.