Samsung pledges to work with Africa in CSR projects

NAIROBI, KENYA: Samsung Electronics Africa has announced that it will bolster its corporate citizenship efforts in Africa in a bid to help the continent achieve its sustainable development goals.

Speaking at the 2016 Samsung Africa Forum, Abey Tau, Corporate Citizenship and Public Affairs Manager, said: “As a global citizen, we felt it was important to use our technology to give back to society. We do this in four ways: by creating new learning opportunities so that young people can enjoy access to better education; by using our technical expertise to develop and provide access to new healthcare solutions; by supporting youth employment through vocational training and skills development; and by reducing our impact on the environment.”

According to the World Bank, Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for more than 50 percent of all out-of-school children worldwide, which affects their future employment opportunities. The dire situation faced by many African countries is a result of a number of factors, including civil unrest, cultural beliefs and a lack of schooling infrastructure and resources.

The company works with educators around the world to improve learning experiences through the use of technology, facilitating a classroom environment that is limitless and gives students access to a world of knowledge from their desks or on the go.

Through these education initiatives, Samsung hopes to instill a love of learning in students so that they may have equal access to opportunities and go on to become active participants in the economy. This can help to reduce the number of out-of-school children, giving them a chance to succeed.

Earlier this month, Nigerian president, Muhammadu Buhari, attended the launch of a Smart School in the state of Ogun.

Samsung will continue to drive access to education by launching a number of education initiatives in Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and DRC in 2016.