West African Youth to Benefit From World-Class ICT Training at Togolese Centre
New York, Dec 9 2010 5:10PM Young people across West Africa will have the opportunity to boost their career prospects
through the study of information and communication technologies (ICTs) thanks to a new training institute set up through
a partnership between the United Nations, a Togolese telecoms centre and Cisco Systems.
The new Internet Training Centre, located in the Togolese capital, Lomé, is part of a broader effort by the UN
International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and its partners to extend the benefits of ICTs to people everywhere and
prepare countries for a broadband-enabled economy.
“The skills taught at this new Internet Training Centre will help young Africans from all socio-economic strata
establish exciting and well-paid careers in the booming ICT sector – a sector which has been responsible for creating
more jobs over the past five years than any other industry,” said ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré.
Five instructors are now being trained in the Cisco Certified Networking Academy (CCNA) curriculum, using a
train-the-trainer approach, according to a news release issued by ITU. The curriculum will then be offered to students
beginning next year.
“The world-class ICT training available at the Centre will enable more young people from Togo and the West African
region to gain industry-recognized certification and skills that will be in strong demand in today’s and tomorrow’s
labour market,” stated the agency.
ITU’s Internet Training Centre initiative was launched in 2001, with Cisco Systems as the first major global partner.
Since then it has grown into a network of more 80 Internet Training Centres around the world, with additional partners
including the European Commission and Microsoft, as well as local training and education institutes in different
regions.
ENDS