• Strategy targets curriculum reform, teacher skills, infrastructure and online learning tools
  
  
• Strategy aligns with SDG 4 and aims to boost youth employment and digital readiness
  

Guinea has approved its National Strategy for the Digital Transformation of Technical and Vocational Education and Training. The 300 billion Guinean franc (34.5 million dollar) plan was adopted at a workshop in Conakry hosted by the Ministry of Technical Education and Vocational Training. It aims to modernize the country’s technical and vocational training system.

The strategy is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 4 on quality education. It seeks to make technical education a key driver of employment and entrepreneurship. Its priorities include updating training programs, adapting curricula to labor market needs, improving digital infrastructure and connectivity, and closing the skills gap among teachers.

According to the ministry, the funding will be used to strengthen digital infrastructure, equip training institutions, train teachers and deploy online learning platforms. The plan forms part of Guinea’s 2035 development vision, which aims to build a strong digital ecosystem that can support technical education over the long term. Regionally, Guinea is contributing to a pan-African initiative to digitize technical education in order to align approaches and share funding and expertise across countries.

The approval comes as Africa’s labor market is rapidly changing with rising demand for digital skills. The Brookings Institution’s report “Foresight Africa 2025-2030” estimates that 230 million jobs in sub-Saharan Africa will require digital competencies by 2030. It also anticipates up to 650 million training opportunities, which represent a potential market of 130 billion dollars.

The successful implementation of Guinea’s strategy will depend on several factors. These include securing the necessary funding, strengthening governance, improving teacher training in digital tools and ensuring the availability of essential infrastructure such as reliable electricity and high-speed internet in rural areas.

If fully implemented, the strategy could expand access to professional training, modernize technical programs, increase youth employability and strengthen the country’s competitiveness in a rapidly digitalizing economy. Youth unemployment remains particularly high in Guinea and is estimated at nearly 60 percent according to national statistics.

Samira Njoya

• Government launches a 2025–2029 national child online protection strategy with a $1.8 million budget.
• UNICEF and GSMA created the Africa Taskforce on Child Online Protection in October 2025 to harmonize continental standards.
• Zambia joins Nigeria and Ghana, which already adopted national policies on child cybersecurity.

Zambia has introduced a national strategy to protect children online as digital adoption accelerates amo

ng the country’s youth. The government aims to ensure safer and more responsible Internet access for minors.

The government launched the National Child Online Protection Strategy (2025–2029) on Monday, November 24. The document sets a roadmap to strengthen digital safety for children nationwide and to build a safer online environment for young users.

The government allocated $1.8 million to this plan. The strategy focuses on several pillars, including strengthened national policy coordination, development of digital skills, awareness programs for children and parents, and a structured collaboration framework connecting public, private and civil society stakeholders.

This initiative comes as Internet penetration grows quickly across Africa, especially among younger populations. UNICEF reports that African children rank among the fastest-growing digital user groups worldwide, which increases their exposure to cyberbullying, misinformation, online exploitation and harmful content.

These risks prompted UNICEF and GSMA in October 2025 to launch the Africa Taskforce on Child Online Protection (COP). The platform aims to harmonize protection efforts, deepen cooperation among states and promote shared digital safety standards across the continent.

In Zambia, recent national data on children’s Internet use remains limited. Authorities, however, recognize a steady rise in youth connectivity, which makes preventive, educational and regulatory measures urgent.

With this strategy, Zambia joins other African countries that have already implemented structured national child online safety policies. Nigeria and Ghana in recent years adopted legal frameworks and government programs dedicated to child cybersecurity.

If fully implemented, Zambia’s strategy could reduce minors’ exposure to digital risks and strengthen trust among families and schools in the use of online tools. Its success, however, will also depend on the development of an adapted legislative framework to ensure a safe, inclusive and protective digital environment for children.

Samira Njoya

• Google.org will provide $1.5 million to fund a digital literacy and online-safety programme across four African countries.

• JA Africa aims to train 250,000 children, 6,000 teachers and 8,000 parents and caregivers by 2027.

• The programme will deploy Google’s “Be Internet Awesome” curriculum, including Interland, through schools and community networks.

Children in Africa gain access to digital technology at increasingly early ages as connectivity expands across the continent. This rapid exposure, however, brings major risks such as cyberbullying, harassment and exploitation, which compel governments and organisations to strengthen online-safety protections.

JA Africa, the regional arm of one of the world’s oldest youth-focused economic-education organisations, announced on 26 November the launch of a digital-literacy and online-safety programme in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. The initiative uses $1.5 million in funding from Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google, and targets the training of 250,000 children, 6,000 teachers and 8,000 parents and caregivers by 2027 to reinforce child safety in a fast-growing digital ecosystem.

“Digital connectivity now forms the backbone of modern life in Africa, and our children must be equipped not only to participate but also to stay protected,” JA Africa CEO Simi Nwogugu said. “With support from Google.org, we help young people turn access into opportunity by building a generation of smart, safe and respectful digital citizens.”

The programme relies on Google’s “Be Internet Awesome” curriculum, which teaches digital security, privacy protection, anti-cyberbullying practices and responsible online citizenship. The curriculum uses Interland, a game-based platform, to engage young learners. JA Africa will deploy the programme through school workshops, teacher-training sessions and community-based activities, including in underserved rural areas. The initiative aligns with existing national frameworks on child protection and ICT-in-education policies in Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya.

The launch comes as minors face rising digital-exposure risks across Africa. GSMA data shows that 18% of children aged 5 to 7 in sub-Saharan Africa already use mobile Internet. The International Telecommunication Union estimates that one child connects to the Internet every half-second worldwide, highlighting the accelerating pace of early digital access. Yet, in 2024, only 39 African countries had completed a national online-child-protection strategy, while 32% were still drafting one and 41% had taken no formal steps.

The project could ultimately support the creation of common continental standards for online child protection through planned collaboration with education, ICT and communications ministries. JA Africa and Google intend to amplify the programme with awareness campaigns, digital-content production and key events, including Safer Internet Day 2026, to broaden public reach.

This article was initially published in French by Samira Njoya

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum

• Benin set a 2026 digital budget of CFA27.2 billion ($48 million), down 6.32% from 2025 due to a 12.22% drop in external financing.

• The government will still fund major initiatives, in  cluding AI integration in public services, nationwide high-speed coverage, and the launch of a national digital-skills school.

• The GSMA estimates that Benin’s digital economy could add CFA1,200 billion to GDP by 2028 and create over 300,000 jobs.

Benin reduced its 2026 digital budget despite expanding ambitions for nationwide digital transformation. The government attributes the decline mainly to a 12.22% drop in external financing, even as it seeks to widen access to digital services and strengthen inclusion across the country.

Digital and Digitalisation Minister Aurélie Adam Soulé Zoumarou presented on 25 November a planned allocation of CFA27.2 billion (US$48 million) to the National Assembly’s budget commission. The figure marks a 6.32% decrease from the CFA29.034 billion approved for 2025.

The 2026 proposal includes CFA9.7 billion in operating expenses and CFA17.4 billion in capital spending.

The budget distributes resources across three main programmes. Piloting and Support receives CFA2.1 billion to improve ministry performance and provide backing to the digital, digitisation and media sectors. The Digital Programme, allocated CFA12.3 billion, aims to promote nationwide digital transformation.The Media Programme, with CFA12.6 billion, targets audiovisual modernisation, improved access to quality information, upgrades to public media and continued deployment of digital terrestrial television (DTT).

The ministry highlights several strategic priorities, including the progressive integration of artificial intelligence into public administration and priority sectors. It also positions digital-divide reduction as a central goal through extended high-speed connectivity initiatives.

Authorities expect additional investments to improve access to digital equipment and strengthen the population’s digital skills.

The project outlines the development of an École des métiers du numérique, which will train specialised talent such as developers, network administrators, cybersecurity experts and data analysts. The facility aims to support a competitive, skilled digital workforce.

The 2026 programmes complement several projects already launched, including Phase 2 of the nationwide high- and ultra-high-speed broadband rollout, the SMART GOUV initiative to digitalise public administration, and the digital transformation of local governments.

The GSMA reports that Benin’s digital economy—supported by mobile connectivity and digital services—could generate CFA1,200 billion in additional GDP by 2028, create over 300,000 jobs and raise CFA150 billion in extra fiscal revenue.

This article was initially published in French by Samira Njoya

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum