A grant of about N$215,000 (£15,310) has been awarded by the Indigo Trust based in the United Kingdom for the development of RLabs Namibia in collaboration with the Namibia Business Innovation Centre (NBIC) and RLabs South Africa. The grant will be used to provide young tech entrepreneurs with skills, tools and training to design and create socially-focused ICT solutions in Namibia.
The Indingo trust, funds technology-driven projects aimed at bringing about social change, largely in African countries. Marlon Parker, Founder of RLabs said that “It is an honour for RLabs and NBIC to have been chosen amongst many other African organisations. Through this grant, many disadvantaged young people will gain knowledge in ICT and social networking, which will provide them with opportunities for jobs or self-employment”.
Thus far, RLabs Namibia has already trained 37 aspiring entrepreneurs in social media skills, with a new group of individuals set to begin with their training in late February 2013. Some of the individuals who have been trained have begun assisting companies in managing their social media (Twitter & Facebook) presence. “Social media has become such a huge part of our lives. We at NBIC look forward to deepen our cooperation with RLabs with the aim of reducing the digital divide in Namibia” said Dr. Christian Toelg, NBIC’s Director: Research & Development.
