MTN is using artificial intelligence (AI) to connect young Africans with employment opportunities, adding an AI-powered Job Board to its MTN Skills Academy platform.
The new feature combines job discovery with skills development, allowing users to identify vacancies, assess their suitability for roles and find courses to address potential skills gaps.
Unlike job platforms that primarily list vacancies, the Job Board uses learners’ skills, location and career goals to recommend relevant opportunities, according to the operator.
Job Board is available in the 11 African markets where the MTN Skills Academy operates, including SA, Uganda, Zambia, Rwanda and Ghana.
Users can also filter and save vacancies and track applications through interview and offer stages.
The move comes as African economies face growing demand for digital skills, while many young people struggle to transition from education and training into employment.
Marina Madale, MTN Group executive for sustainability and shared value, says the platform is intended to address the gap between skills development and economic participation.
“Young people start from different circumstances, but they share the need for relevant skills and clearer routes to opportunity. Across Africa, many are investing in their futures through learning and self-development, while employers are seeking the capabilities needed in an increasingly digital economy.
“Digital and financial inclusion becomes more economically meaningful when it helps people participate in the economy. Strengthening the path from skills to work requires action across business, government and education. For MTN, the Job Board gives further practical expression to our commitment to digital and economic inclusion by connecting learning, skills and opportunity.”
According to MTN, more than 60% of Africa’s population is under the age of 25, while the International Finance Corporation estimates that more than 230 million jobs in Sub-Saharan Africa will require digital skills by 2030.
When a learner does not fully meet a position’s requirements, the platform can recommend relevant free courses available through the Skills Academy. This creates a direct link between identifying a job opportunity and developing the capabilities required to pursue it, notes MTN.
Launched in 2022, the MTN Skills Academy offers free training in digital literacy, coding, data analytics, artificial intelligence, cyber security and entrepreneurship.
The platform has recorded nearly 526 000 enrolments and 192 000 course completions across its 11 markets, with 1 122 specialisations completed, says MTN.
MTN says certified digital certificates are issued at the end of each course to allow learners to demonstrate authenticated achievements to prospective employers.
The academy incorporates accessibility features intended to support learners with visual, cognitive, neurological, mobility and age-related needs.
With the addition of AI-powered job discovery, MTN is expanding the Skills Academy beyond digital training towards connecting skills development with employment and broader economic participation.
Users can access the Job Board through the MTN Skills Academy.
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