Kasi Digital, a grassroots initiative to reduce unemployment and improve inclusion in the digital economy. founded by Play your Part Ambassador and Global Shapers Tshwane Hub Alumni, Arnold Sigauque.
Pictured , Kasi Digital Cohort 2024/2025
Kasi Digital is a tech skills development programme that aims to contribute to the development of South Africa’s technology ecosystem, by training young people from townships to become software developers and providing South African tech startups with a growing talent pool.
The project was founded in 2024 by Arnold Sigauque, who is a Brand South Africa Play Your Part Ambassador and alumni member of the World Economic forum Global Shapers Tshwane Hub community, with support from Brand South Africa, the University of Pretoria and Zaio Coding School.
Pictured Arnold Sigauque
The idea for the project emerged when Arnold, who is the founder of a technology company called Ghea, realised how hard it was to attract talented developers to join his team. This is a challenge that many tech startups face in South Africa.
Finding tech talent in South Africa remains challenging for tech startups because of the general skills shortage in the space and the high cost of tech salaries, so the prospect of creating a wider talent pool made sense, given that a number of tech startups face this challenge.
This problem is too big to be solved by any single organisation which is why there are several initiatives that address this problem. What makes Kasi Digital unique is that;
- it aims to produce well-rounded tech professionals with a broad range of skills, not just software development; future versions of the programme will include skills which range from Cybersecurity to Digital Marketing.
- Working closely with startup partners to develop an internship/work experience programme that ensures that the talent is developed further following graduation and supports startup partners in growing their ventures so they can retain the talent through long-term employment.
- The programme will also focus on entrepreneurial education, so that graduates have a solid foundation to start their own ventures or choose to become self-employed, should they so wish.
Kasi Digital specifically focuses on townships because that is where the need for access to digital skills is the greatest. Young people from townships often go through primary and high school without access to computers. Most young South Africans only have access to the internet through their phones, which makes it difficult to acquire meaningful digital skills.
“ We recognise the need to partner with community development projects such as Kasi Digital because solutions to the problems that communities face must come from people within those communities and that is what we aim to achieve through our Play Your Part campaign,” said Masego Mosiane on behalf of Brand South Africa.
Kasi Digital has also received support from the University of Pretoria’s community outreach centre, which provides learning space for the students; Zaio coding school, which provides the curriculum and certification; and startup partners, which include Jobox, Fixxr, Ghea, and Tati Software, all of whom have contributed immensely towards the project’s successful launch.
“Initiatives like Kasi Digital are vital in the response to the challenges that South African youth unemployment challenge presents, because they recognise that economic development cannot exist without the inclusion of South Africa’s townships and the young people who live in them as well as the young industrialists who are building South Africa’s startup ecosystem. By harnessing their productivity, we can begin to meaningfully turn the tide against unemployment and make South Africa’s digital economy more inclusive. “ Sigauque said
Organisations interested in partnering with kasi Digital can contact [email protected] visit @kasi_digital_tshwanehub on instagram or https://kasidigital.org/
