HP Commits to Empowering Another 100,000 Learners in Africa Over the Next Three Years

HP has long recognized that access to education is crucial to powering the creativity and innovation that our industry thrives on. From a business perspective, access to education increases diversity, drives new business, and attracts and retains the best employees. But much more than that, education is a fundamental human right.

As one of the world’s leading technology companies, HP has the scale, influence, and resources to address this issue in under-served communities across the globe. I’m proud of what we’ve already achieved in EMEA by combining HP products and solutions with sustainable impact programs and partnerships, to provide technology-enabled inclusive learning, but there is still more to be done to close the digital divide.

That is why, at the 2017 Global Citizen Festival in Hamburg, HP committed more than $20 million to improve education for 100 million people worldwide by 2025. One EMEA region that stands out to me is Africa, where the working-age population is due to rise by two-thirds before 2030, and innovation is accelerating exponentially.

Bringing technological capabilities into line with available opportunity is imperative if we are to unleash the untapped potential across Africa. Already, HP partnerships with UNIDO and USAID as well as local NGOs have benefited over 100,000 people in Nigeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt - and this is just the beginning.

One year on from Hamburg, the 2018 Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 saw our Central Africa Managing Director, Ify Afe, announce our pledge to empower another 100,000 learners across Africa over the next three years.

For the people of Johannesburg, where Sunday’s festival took place, this means the opening of a new @HP LIFE Centre. HP LIFE (www.life-global.org) brings free online business, IT, and digital skills courses to under-served communities, helping budding entrepreneurs unlock their potential. It has already reached 744,000 people since launching in 2012, and this centre will go a step further, acting as hub bringing together ideas and facilitating conversations and community. And this is just one element of our broader commitment – it works alongside HP World on Wheels and HP Learning Studios to directly reach the people who will most benefit from it.

I’m delighted to see our local HP colleagues building on the great work done across EMEA to empower people through technology and education. I look forward to seeing the impact our pledge has throughout the region, and hitting the next 100,000 milestone!