{"id":114549,"date":"2015-05-07T16:59:37","date_gmt":"2015-05-07T16:59:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=114549"},"modified":"2015-05-07T16:59:37","modified_gmt":"2015-05-07T16:59:37","slug":"microsoft-ghana-to-focus-on-youth-employability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2015\/05\/microsoft-ghana-to-focus-on-youth-employability\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft Ghana to focus on youth employability"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the World Bank reporting that 65% of Ghanaian youth are unemployed, newly appointed Country Manager for Microsoft in Ghana, Derek Appiah, says the company will focus on developing the employability skills of youth in the country.<\/p>\n

Mr Appiah says he sees significant potential in Ghana\u2019s young population and is excited that Microsoft has a presence in the country to help unlock this potential.<\/p>\n

The country manager who spent his formative years in Ghana after moving to the UK with his father as a child, holds an engineering degree and an MBA.<\/p>\n

After gaining 20 years\u2019 experience in research, technology, product development, marketing, sales and general management in the UK, he felt an urgency contribute to the growing economic development in Africa and emerging markets in particular.<\/p>\n

He spent time working in the UAE and Nigeria, where he worked as an Executive Director at MTN, before moving back to Ghana in 2011 to work at Vodafone Ghana, Logiciel Ghana and finally Microsoft.<\/p>\n

\"????????????????????????????????????\"<\/a>
Derek Appiah<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWhat I really enjoy about working in emerging markets is that you can make a big impact quickly; it\u2019s possible to contribute to the ecosystem in a very real way,\u201d adds Appiah.<\/p>\n

Appiah\u2019s goal as Country Manager is to help the company have a more active role in Ghana and add more value now that it has offices in the country and a 100% Ghanaian staff complement.<\/p>\n

In keeping with this, he aims to make a significant impact on Ghana\u2019s development.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe there is enormous potential for technology to change lives in the emerging world, so this is an opportunity to make a big impact using Microsoft to enable productivity for businesses, government and consumers,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

One of the key areas Appiah\u2019s team is focusing on to enable his dream come true is developing youth employability skills, which he believes will help to develop Ghana\u2019s business ecosystem.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I love most about Ghana is its young and vibrant population,\u201d he comments. \u201cThey are peace-loving and punch above their weight intellectually, making them the perfect candidates to take the country forward if they can acquire the necessary skills.\u201d<\/p>\n

Appiah believes in the power of technology to help make this happen. While technology and ICT skills are generally low in Ghana, he believes this is improving thanks to companies like Microsoft having a more active role in the country and the training of its people.<\/p>\n

He noted that, \u201cThis is not about charity but rather about creating a value exchange between citizens, industry and government.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the ways in which Microsoft is working to make an impact is through its 4Afrika initiative, which was launched in 2013 to play an active role in Africa\u2019s economic competitiveness and enable Africans to turn their ideas into a reality through access to the right devices and services, training and mentorship.<\/p>\n

Through the initiative, Microsoft has partnered with Spectra Wireless to launch Africa\u2019s first commercial service network utilising TV white spaces in Ghana.<\/p>\n

This allows students to buy affordable, high speed internet bundles and devices, giving them access to the internet which is often critical to their success.<\/p>\n

Beyond this, Microsoft is also launching a Ghanaian National Youth Employability Portal called TizaaWorks (Everyone Works) on 21 May with partners such as the International Institute for Communication and Development\u00a0(IICD).<\/p>\n

Appiah is particularly excited about these initiatives and the opportunities they will help to open up for Ghanaian youth.<\/p>\n

He concludes, \u201cYoung people are an asset to our society, and even more so if they are adequately equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to create a brighter future for themselves and for Ghana.\u201d<\/p>\n

–<\/p>\n

Credit: Microsoft Ghana<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the World Bank reporting that 65% of Ghanaian youth are unemployed, newly appointed Country Manager for Microsoft in Ghana, Derek Appiah, says the company will focus on developing the employability skills of youth in the country. Mr Appiah says he sees significant potential in Ghana\u2019s young population and is excited that Microsoft has a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":114540,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[18],"yoast_head":"\nMicrosoft Ghana to focus on youth employability - Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2015\/05\/microsoft-ghana-to-focus-on-youth-employability\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Microsoft Ghana to focus on youth employability - Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With the World Bank reporting that 65% of Ghanaian youth are unemployed, newly appointed Country Manager for Microsoft in Ghana, Derek Appiah, says the company will focus on developing the employability skills of youth in the country. Mr Appiah says he sees significant potential in Ghana\u2019s young population and is excited that Microsoft has a […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2015\/05\/microsoft-ghana-to-focus-on-youth-employability\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/citi97.3\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-05-07T16:59:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Derek-Appiah-newly-appointed-Country-Manager-for-Microsoft-in-Ghana-2....jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"423\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"330\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@citi973\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@citi973\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2015\/05\/microsoft-ghana-to-focus-on-youth-employability\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2015\/05\/microsoft-ghana-to-focus-on-youth-employability\/\",\"name\":\"Microsoft Ghana to focus on youth employability - Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2015-05-07T16:59:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-05-07T16:59:37+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2015\/05\/microsoft-ghana-to-focus-on-youth-employability\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2015\/05\/microsoft-ghana-to-focus-on-youth-employability\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2015\/05\/microsoft-ghana-to-focus-on-youth-employability\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Microsoft Ghana to focus on youth employability\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/\",\"name\":\"Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always\",\"description\":\"Ghana News | Ghana Politics | Ghana Soccer | Ghana Showbiz\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/author\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Microsoft Ghana to focus on youth employability - Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2015\/05\/microsoft-ghana-to-focus-on-youth-employability\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Microsoft Ghana to focus on youth employability - Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always","og_description":"With the World Bank reporting that 65% of Ghanaian youth are unemployed, newly appointed Country Manager for Microsoft in Ghana, Derek Appiah, says the company will focus on developing the employability skills of youth in the country. Mr Appiah says he sees significant potential in Ghana\u2019s young population and is excited that Microsoft has a […]","og_url":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2015\/05\/microsoft-ghana-to-focus-on-youth-employability\/","og_site_name":"Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/citi97.3","article_published_time":"2015-05-07T16:59:37+00:00","og_image":[{"width":423,"height":330,"url":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Derek-Appiah-newly-appointed-Country-Manager-for-Microsoft-in-Ghana-2....jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@citi973","twitter_site":"@citi973","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2015\/05\/microsoft-ghana-to-focus-on-youth-employability\/","url":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2015\/05\/microsoft-ghana-to-focus-on-youth-employability\/","name":"Microsoft Ghana to focus on youth employability - Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2015-05-07T16:59:37+00:00","dateModified":"2015-05-07T16:59:37+00:00","author":{"@id":""},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2015\/05\/microsoft-ghana-to-focus-on-youth-employability\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2015\/05\/microsoft-ghana-to-focus-on-youth-employability\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2015\/05\/microsoft-ghana-to-focus-on-youth-employability\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Microsoft Ghana to focus on youth employability"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/","name":"Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always","description":"Ghana News | Ghana Politics | Ghana Soccer | Ghana Showbiz","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"","url":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/author\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114549"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=114549"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114549\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/114540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=114549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}