On 15 October the South African Communications Forum (SACF) launched the SACF
ICT Youth Forum, which seeks to identify, develop and mentor the next wave of ICT
industry leaders. This launch, which took place at Vodaworld in Johannesburg, serves
as the first step towards developing the youth in the ICT Development Framework and
implementation programmes.
The ICT Youth Forum will discuss and chart a way forward for the meaningful
participation of youth in the information and communication technology industry.
Said SACF CEO Loren Kabosha: “The launch of the ICT Youth Forum comes during a
time of great change across the ICT industry, which can only benefit from this youth
leadership initiative. Youth are the now and the future of the ICT industry.’
The SACF ICT Youth Forum will dedicate itself to: nurturing upcoming ICT
entrepreneurs and providing a link to the industry; developing and implementing
mentorship programmes for youth in the sector to enable penetration and growth;
developing a platform for ICT sector youth to engage on common issues and provide
solutions; and engaging with the sector and providing leadership on issues facing
youth.
Although the youth of South Africa are perceived to be the country’s greatest asset,
they also represent a group with serious vulnerabilities. President Nelson Mandela
said at the opening of the 7th World Telecommunications Exhibition and Forum on 3
October 1995: “I would emphasise the importance of young people to the information
revolution. Many of us here today spent much of one lives without access to
telecommunications or information services. But our children will. They are our
greatest assets and it is our responsibility to give them the skills and insight to build
the information societies of the future.’
The SACF ICT Youth Forum will mobilise young people’s potential and energy through
mentorship, and by providing training in entrepreneurial skills in information and
communications technologies, in order to enable them to take the lead in the ICT
sector.
SACF is a non-profit industry association with members from across the full scope of
the ICT sector. It brings together the public sector, private sector and civil society
organisations with a goal of building partnerships to bridge the digital divide and
create an Information Society in South Africa.
