The Cape Innovation & Technology Initiative (CiTi), which is mostly based in South Africa, has opened a branch in Kigali, Rwanda, in East Africa.
It also announced a new partnership with Jasiri Accelerator of the Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropy (AGGP) and Jasiri Talent Investor program, an initiative designed to develop exceptional and responsible entrepreneurs.
In just the last eight years, CiTi has helped entrepreneurs from 11 African countries through its Injini and BioCiTi Labs programs for developing entrepreneurs.
So, with their new partnership with AAGP’s Jasiri Talent Investor program and Jasiri Accelerator, CiTi will now be able to draw on AGGP Jasiri’s expertise in East Africa to help high-potential individuals launch successful businesses with a positive social impact.
The headquarters of this tech incubator for its expansion into East Africa will be Norrsken House Kigali. This is mainly because Norrsken East Africa is a subsidiary of the Norrsken Foundation, and it is also a nonprofit organization that shares CiTi’s vision for Africa in its conviction that entrepreneurs should create products that would help solve the world’s problems and answer users’ questions.
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“We have entrepreneurial and skills development hubs in Cape Town, Khayelitsha, and Johannesburg. We are privileged to now be able to open an office in Kigali, Rwanda. Our collaboration with the Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropy’s Jasiri talent investor program over the last three months has enabled us to deploy dedicated staff on the ground in Rwanda to support entrepreneurs in East Africa,” said Ian Merrington, CEO of CiTi.
“The impact of our support and ongoing collaboration with AGGP have justified us investing in a full-time office in Rwanda to further our reach and impact in East Africa. I believe that we will be able to add value and impact, not only in traditional entrepreneurial development support but in more specialized areas such as the bioeconomy, ed-tech ecosystem, and the acceleration of digital skills. We are also delighted to be able to collaborate with the members of Norrsken House Kigali and base ourselves in the middle of a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem in East Africa.”
Mission Of Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropy
The mission of Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropy East Africa, led by Anthony Farr, is an empowered, prosperous, and engaged African legally recognized organization with rights and obligations that thrives in moral societies with dignity and hope, which Anthony Farr claimed is in harmony with CiTi’s vision of an inclusive, future-ready society.
“I have been delighted to see the increased impact of combining the experience of our two organizations‘ entrepreneurial support interventions. We believe that strong entrepreneurial teams are at the heart of successful new venture creation, so by starting with a focus on the individual, we aim to build a brilliant, diverse, and equally ambitious community of co-founders,” he said.
Norrsken East Africa’s business development and partnerships manager, Michelle Umurungi, expressed her joy at having CiTi’s East African office at Norrsken House.
This new branch office in Rwanda could hasten the development plan and strengthen the ties between South Africa and Rwanda. Also, more societal impact would be created for the Rwandan people.
Cape Town and Cape Innovation and Technology Collaborates To Connect Youths To Jobs
Through its partnership with the City of Cape Town, the Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative (CiTi) claims to have taught 498 young adults from Cape Town who have been unemployed during the past three years.
The ICT capacity-building organization runs a program called “Tech Career Accelerator.” This program trains young South Africans and helps them find internships in industries related to ICT.
Since it started in 2010, CapaCiTi says it has taught around 2,000 young South Africans. Many of these interns have been hired by local ICT companies, such as financial services companies, digital marketing agencies, and software start-ups.
“The City of Cape Town has been a long-standing partner of CapaCiTi, putting the youth of Cape Town at the center of the future of our city,” said Fiona Tabraham, CEO of CapaCiTi, speaking at the graduation ceremony.
With the support received, we said, we will continue training and developing young talent throughout the pandemic, often acting as a beacon of hope and support to those most in need. I am delighted that over 80% of our graduating youth today have been placed into roles in the industry. Their future and opportunity in the digital economy is bright. ”
ApaCiTi believes local organizations face the challenge of establishing and maintaining multi-talented, multi-skilled workforces that can meet the demands of the digital workplace and adapt well to the rapidly changing nature of the workplace because the demand for IT skills in South Africa currently far outstrips the supply.
As demonstrated, greater workplace diversity leads to improved production and profit. CapaCiTi believes that ICT companies need to hire more women to improve diversity.
“We need to connect the dots between skills that are in demand and underutilized youth assets in South Africa,” says Tabraham. “We can do this by giving school-educated youth more skills through demand-driven skills initiatives.”
In support of this claim made by Tabraham, the organization made sure that over half (53%) of the graduates were female to bridge the skills gap and underrepresentation of women in Cape Town’s ICT sector.
Surely, this is a great step in the right direction made by CiTi. Hopefully, youths in Capetown will use this opportunity to their advantage, as crime rates in Capetown will notice a tremendous decrease.