ADMI inks deal to connect Mombasa youth to multi-billion-dollar film industry

The Africa Digital Media Institute (ADMI) and the Global Opportunity Youth Network have signed a two-year partnership deal to help up to 600 out-of-school and unemployed youth tap into Africa’s multi-billion-dollar film and audiovisual industry.

The partnership will see ADMI train and connect the underserved youth drawn from Mombasa County with employment opportunities through the Swahilipot Hub Foundation - a community space that nurtures youth talent and skills in technology, creatives, arts and heritage.

Speaking at the signing ceremony in Mombasa, ADMI Director Dr. Laila Macharia noted the partnership will help the students engage in innovative income-generating activities.

“Creative skills are a key enabler for inclusion and the efficient use, adoption, and creation of digital technologies in Africa’s growing digital economy and therefore our unique approach to training is that we train for the market and we co-design relevant demand-driven courses together with employers,” said Dr. Macharia.

“The solution to unemployment must go beyond short-term fixes. This will require sustained investments in market-relevant training to give our youth the chance to use their skills to thrive in an increasingly digital world,” she added.

Swahilipot Hub Executive Director Mahmoud Noor commented: “The world is becoming increasingly fast-paced and the workforce needs to be at the forefront of technological developments to remain competitive and meet job and market expectations.”

The Global Opportunity Youth Network works with anchor partners situated in communities around the world to create economic mobility for “Opportunity Youth” — young people aged 15-29 who are out of school, unemployed, or working in informal jobs.

“This training has the potential to transform the nature of both formal and informal work across various sectors and we forecast it to increase access to existing and new markets, promoting job creation and accelerating cross-border trading,” said Daisy Chesang, Creative Economy Pathway Lead at Global Opportunity Youth Network.

The partnership will offer training programs in a variety of courses including Film and TV Production, Video Production, Digital Journalism, Music Production, Sound Engineering and Graphic Design.

UNESCO’s 2021, The African Film Industry: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities for Growth report shows Africa’s film and audiovisual industries have a potential to create more than 20 million jobs and contribute US $ 20 billion (around Ksh.2.5 trillion) to the continent’s combined GDP.

However, these industries remain untapped and currently employ just five million people and account for US $5 billion (Ksh.624.3 billion) in GDP across Africa.

Selected beneficiaries will also gain skills in 2D and 3D Animation, Video Game Design, Photography, and Digital Marketing.