SEACOM goes social: plans community outreach programmes in Africa

Cable and communications company, SEACOM is today celebrating the anniversary of its commercial launch by committing itself to community outreach programmes across the African continent.

Going by the tagline “Building the African Internet,” the company is mainly known for launching Africa’s first broadband submarine cable system along the eastern and southern coastlines in 2009. This year’s initiatives revolve mainly around ICT and social development. Community projects across Africa are being carried out in an effort to further the company’s social investment programme in the name of Foundation Day.

In South Africa, the company will focus its efforts on Tembisa High School in Gauteng, where learners will be encouraged to create their own interventions to address socio-economic issues affecting their lives.

“What makes the initiatives we have planned for each country so exciting is that they allow each SEACOM employee to directly engage in social upliftment. This is a sustainable approach that is empowering for everyone involved — it’s about genuine partnership with the community and not just donating money,” says CEO Mark Simpson.

This year SEACOM South Africa is to help host the career day that will showcase career options to the learners, with representatives from a range of top South African companies on hand to explain the jobs and career paths they have on offer to the learners.

This initiative at Tembisa High School also promotes the Department of Education’s new career development programme and will have two career guidance practitioners placed at the school. The Beehive Youth Life Skills Mxit Portal will also be launched today with the aim of providing valuable life skills to young learners.

In Mozambique, a new computer lab has been set up for the Orfanato de Boane orphanage. In Mauritus SEACOM is supporting SoS Children’s Village where the company provides educational material, food and participates in planting trees. SEACOM Tanzania is working on developing software solutions for the hearing impaired at Buguruni School of the Deaf, Dar es Salaam.

“As a catalyst for the development and growth of the ICT infrastructure and industry on the African continent, there’s nothing we like more than giving something back to each country where we do business,” says Simpson.