On the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, Cybastion announced the expansion of the Africa DigiEmpower initiative to the Democratic Republic of Congo, signaling a new phase of collaboration between the United States and Africa on digital transformation and skills development.

Hosted at Cisco's New York office, MOUs were signed between H.E. Grace Kutino, Minister of Youth of the DRC, Dr. Thierry Wandji, CEO of Cybastion and Macy Andrews, Vice President of Cisco, to launch the Africa DigiEmpower trainings across the country.

Africa DigiEmpower is a continent-wide digital workforce initiative that equips youth and women with advanced digital skills by offering free, accredited technology courses throughCisco Networking Academyin artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, digital infrastructure and other in-demand technology areas.

The digital training program is administered by the non-profit CybastionTHEYA Foundation,which coordinates with local partners to provide technical training and camps and expands access to training beyond major cities by leveraging U.S. spaces, education partners, and U.S. Department of State caravans.

“We are delighted to have this training program in our country to help bring jobs and digital skills to our youth in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” said H.E. Kutino.

By bringing DigiEmpower to the DRC, Cybastion and its partners aim to build local capacity, accelerate the adoption of secure digital services and equip participants with the skills needed to compete in the digital economy.

“Cybastion is proud that the Democratic Republic of Congo is providing its youth and women with the tools to shape their own futures and drive the digital transformation of the continent,” said Dr. Wandji.