Beyond Connectivity: Why Big Tech Must Build Africa’s Digital Talent Through Practical Skills

A critical crisis is unfolding within South Africa’s most promising sector. While we celebrate a young, tech-savvy population and soaring mobile adoption, a stark contradiction remains: 11.8% and 15.3% of university science and engineering graduates are unemployed, even as the digital industry urgently demands skilled, job-ready talent. This is not a lack of education, but a gulf between theoretical learning and the practical skills the modern economy requires. The pathway from degree to job or sustainable business remains fractured.

This skills gap poses the greatest threat to South Africa’s—and indeed Africa’s—digital revolution. Potential alone is not enough. Without deliberate intervention, a generation of innovators risks being left behind. Large technology corporations must urgently evolve their role. Providing connectivity and systems support is no longer sufficient; tech companies must become talent architects, actively building the workforce that leverages their infrastructure.

Telkom’s sponsorship of AfriHack Connect 2025 offers a powerful model for this shift. It recognises that big tech’s greatest resource isn’t just bandwidth or platforms—but a bridge connecting academic theory with practical industry experience, and raw talent with real-world opportunity.

Historically, the relationship between corporate giants and education has been transactional rather than transformational. Traditional CSR efforts, while welcome, rarely address the root causes of the skills deficit. A deeper, integrated commitment is needed. This means embedding senior experts as mentors and providing platforms for emerging talent to solve real business challenges using cutting-edge tools.

Moreover, this partnership embodies the understanding that a company’s long-term growth depends on the health and sophistication of the talent pipeline it draws from. A nation of digital consumers is a market; a nation of digitally skilled creators is an economic powerhouse.

The stakes are existential. With youth unemployment at a catastrophic 56%, South Africa faces not just an economic crisis but a social one. The digital economy can be a viable escape route, but only if we intentionally equip young people with the specific skills—cloud computing, data analytics, AI, and cybersecurity most in demand. This requires focused effort to uplift marginalised groups, especially women and graduates from underserved communities, whose perspectives are vital for an inclusive digital future.

AfriHack Connect is more than a competition; it’s a rapid talent factory. By combining a day of intense, practical mentorship with an immersive hackathon experience, it delivers what universities often cannot: the crucial “last mile” of training that makes graduates employable and ideas investable.

The question is no longer if big tech should help close South Africa’s skills gap, but how. The answer is clear: as active co-investors in human capital. Returns on this investment will be measured not merely in shareholder profits, but in national prosperity—successful startups creating jobs, homegrown solutions tackling local challenges, and a skilled workforce ready to compete globally.

The collaboration between a telecom leader like Telkom and EdTech pioneer Empiras Global Academy is a microcosm of the partnerships the country needs. Other corporate leaders must take note. South Africa’s tech future will not be built in silos or lecture halls alone, but through purposeful alliances that transform potential into practical skills. Our shared mission is to power the engines of innovation with strategic partnerships for lasting impact.

Our future—and the future of our tech talent—depends on it.