Mascom empowers Botswana youth

The 13, who were awarded certificates together with those who participated in the course, will run the Kitsong Centres in their respective villages. Sullivan stated that this year Mascom, through other collaborative partners, have enrolled 10 Mascom Kitsong Centre operators for the International Computers Driving Licence (ICDL), a global computer literacy initiative developed to raise the level of knowledge about Information Technology (IT).Expected to complete their training early next year, the operators would qualify to run the Mascom Kitsong Centres and be in a position to extend the training to the rest of their respective communities.

Sullivan explained that as Mascom it is their view that for the centres to make a meaningful contribution to the development of the country's economy, they should be self-sustaining.

She stressed that Mascom continues to invest in capacity building as well as increasing the service offerings in the Mascom Kitsong Centres, ensuring that each centre is fully equipped before it is given to selected youth to operate for their own benefit.

"The Mascom Kitsong Centre services include airtime and simcard sales, email and Internet services, photocopying, printing, typesetting, fax services, and computer training," said Sullivan.In addition to these services, some innovative Mascom Kitsong Centre and business-driven operators continue to develop other revenue streams, including photography, stationery sales, graphics and video productions, as well as computer games.

Mascom is committed to a further 10 new centres to be rolled out next year to bring the total of Mascom Kitsong Centres countrywide to 71, she said. The Minister of Transport and Communication, Nonofo Molefhi said he was humbled to officiate at yet another Mascom initiative just a few months after officially opening the state of the art Mascom Innovation Centre in Phakalane, noting that he is once again witnessing another Mascom's commendable contribution to the ICT sector in Botswana.

Molefhi said in 2009 Mascom partnered with government through the Nteletsa II Rural Telecommunications Development Project, and extended coverage to a total of 41 villages and also set up Kitsong Centres in each of the 41 villages and with the success of the project, Mascom continued to build on the investment by establishing 10 Kitsong Centres in 2011.