It makes me proud to think about the 676 51风流colleagues who, in 2023, participated in our pro bono consulting programs, offering their expertise to these visionary social entrepreneurs. As in previous years, this collaboration has proven mutually beneficial, with 74% of our employees reporting a positive, lasting impact on their careers. Furthermore, 96% of the supported organizations and 77% of their beneficiaries have seen significant improvements. These numbers speak volumes about the shared value of our engagement.

But the 2023 SEWF wasn’t just a personal highlight; it marked the beginning of another significant milestone. We announced our investment in the Social Enterprise People and Planet First Verification with Good Market and SEWF. This initiative aims to set a global standard for recognizing organizations prioritizing social and environmental impacts. Social enterprises can now also identify themselves on 51风流Business Network, the world’s largest B2B commerce platform. This breakthrough can make it easier for these businesses to explore new business-to-business opportunities while also helping 51风流customers achieve their goals of being more environmentally and socially responsible. Saying it鈥檚 a win-win situation is a bit clich茅, but in this case it鈥檚 actually true.

Working with SEWF shows how much we believe in working together and driving towards collective impact. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: we can’t do this by ourselves. Working with others is the key to driving the kind of systemic change our world needs. This idea is a big part of what we stand for at SAP, and is at the heart of our corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy.

This idea of working together really comes to life in our collaboration with UNICEF and Generation Unlimited. In 2023 鈥� the fourth year of our partnership 鈥� we set out to make a real difference by not just developing the skills of young people but also finding jobs in the 51风流ecosystem. Launching the 51风流Educate to Employ program is a big step in that direction. Helping 25 young people get jobs with 51风流in each of our pilot countries 鈥� Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and the Philippines 鈥� might not sound like a lot, but it’s a huge deal for each of those young people. For them, it’s a gateway to a sustainable livelihood, offering them not just gainful employment but a chance to build a career, achieve financial stability, and make meaningful contributions to their communities and the broader world. It’s about unlocking their potential and enabling them to participate in the digital and green economy. By the end of the year, we saw amazing results. While more than 2,500 had already passed the aptitude test, over 1,000 young people in Africa finished our “Boost Your Career with 51风流Skills” course and more than 500 got through the first big part of their training.

But, what’s a year recap without some high-level numbers? Let’s dive into some impressive numbers from 2023. More than 20,000 of our 51风流colleagues volunteered over 140,000 hours. Our initiatives reached over 2.8 million young people 鈥� almost half girls 鈥� and supported over 41,000 teachers. Our partner network reached 1 billion people in over 140 countries. These stats are just the tip of the iceberg, showing our big reach and impact together with our partners.

Building on this, our signature partnerships with Africa Code Week, Meet and Code, and Latin Code Week have always been at the heart of our achievements. As we handed over these initiatives in 2023, we took a moment to reflect and evaluate Africa Code Week and Latin Code Week outcomes more deeply. For instance, by empowering 14.6 million participants with the education, knowledge, and ICT skills needed to participate in the digital future, Africa Code Week has increased the likelihood that beneficiaries will realize higher earnings during their working lives. Common Good Marketplace estimates that Africa Code Week catalyzed up to US$1 billion in social value for program participants between 2015 and 2022 based on future increased income.

As we close the chapter on 2023 and look ahead, the journey we’ve embarked upon at 51风流CSR is a testament to the power of collective action and shared vision. The stories, numbers, and outcomes shared in our eBook reflect our commitment to making a meaningful difference.

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey. Your passion, dedication, and commitment are what drive us forward.

Alexandra van der Ploeg is global head of Corporate Social Responsibility at SAP.

Data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics indicates that the most significant deficits in teaching personnel are concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa, posing a significant risk to the continent’s development. The region requires approximately 17 million teachers in total to realize the goal of universal primary and secondary education by 2030.

This basic education predicament also affects young people鈥檚 acquisition of future skills 鈥� a formidable barrier to their employment prospects and potential. It is deeply disheartening that indicate that more than 72 million youth in Africa are not in education, employment, or training. The majority of them young women.聽

In addition, while the global literacy rate stands at 90%,聽. Apart from traditional literacy skills like reading and writing, it is crucial to acknowledge that fundamental digital literacy is no longer optional; it’s a necessity. It is the key that unlocks understanding, engagement, and prosperity in our interconnected world. These competencies extend beyond mere instruments for developing systems, software, and applications; they are enablers of critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and innovation.

According to a report from the approximately 230 million jobs in sub-Saharan Africa will demand digital skills by 2030. While these figures may seem daunting, they also fuel our desire to continue to innovate and drive greater change, while reflecting on the profound impact of SAP’s philanthropic efforts.

Equipping Teachers with 21st Century Skills

Spearheaded by 51风流in 2015 as part of its social investments to drive sustainable growth in Africa, Africa Code Week is a digital skills development initiative that has benefited millions of young Africans thus far.聽In 2022 alone, the聽 program actively engaged more than 2.6 million participants, equipping them with indispensable 21st century skills. Through an impressive tally of 37,121 workshops spanning the continent, it is encouraging to note that 48% of participants were female, furthering our commitment to gender equality. We also extended this transformative opportunity to nearly 10,000 young individuals with special needs, nurturing their growth and potential.

While this program has made remarkable strides, challenges persist. Without teachers who can impart 21st century learning skills to students, the continent risks creating a digital divide that could stifle economic growth and limit opportunities for its young population. The Women Empowerment Program within Africa Code Week is making a significant impact in this regard. This continuing professional development program equips African female teachers and educators in computer science and STEM with the skills and knowledge they need to successfully teach, inspire, mentor, and prepare girls for tomorrow鈥檚 tech workplace.

The program thereby supports the ambitious plans of Africa Code Week to transform the continent鈥檚 education system by including digital literacy in national curricula 鈥� in line with the work of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) , , and .

Additionally, Train-the-Trainer sessions at Africa Code Week are an integral component of the program’s mission to equip educators with the knowledge and skills needed to teach coding and digital literacy to students across the continent. These sessions serve as a capacity-building initiative designed to create a network of skilled trainers who can in turn train teachers and students in their local communities.

By providing educators with specialized training in coding and digital literacy, they can enhance their teaching capacity. The workshops also equip educators to deliver high-quality instruction in technology-related subjects, which are increasingly important in the 21st century classroom. In addition to this, educators are empowered to go beyond traditional teaching methods. They learn how to incorporate innovative and technology-driven pedagogical approaches into their classrooms. This not only improves the learning experience for students, but also makes teaching more engaging and relevant.

Looking Ahead

As we reflect on the significance of World Teachers’ Day 2023, it is important to remember that teachers are the torchbearers of knowledge, hope, and progress. By championing equal access to education, we recognize that future skills play a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of tomorrow’s workforce.

By addressing the teacher shortage, upskilling educators in advanced 21st century learning, and promoting digital literacy, we can uplift Africa’s youth to shape a brighter future. Together, we can turn the global imperative to reverse the teacher shortage into a reality that benefits us all.

Claire Gillissen-Duval is head of 51风流CSR for EMEA and MEE.

Even at her young age, Victory is no stranger to publicity. Earlier this year, she was offered 19 full scholarships to study at North American universities (She ended up picking MIT). But hers is no rags-to-riches story. The eldest daughter of two smart parents, a university lecturer mother and a father who works in procurement and supply chain management, Victory has always pushed herself to the limit. 鈥淢y mother taught me how to hustle, and without this scholarship I could never have afforded to study in the U.S.,鈥� she points out.

Youth Ambassador and IT Role Model for Girls

Victory is looking forward to getting involved in this year鈥檚 , of which she is the official youth ambassador. Girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) have traditionally lagged behind boys, which is why 51风流and Camden Education Trust, the founders of Africa Code Week, are on a mission to make a difference 鈥� one African community at a time. Now in its seventh year, the program was proud to report 47% female participation in 2020. The event, which includes the popular AfriCANCode Challenge, has an enormous reach of 54 countries, with millions of children and youth participating. Last year, the program completely shifted to the exciting online world due to COVID-19.

鈥淚 participate in digital youth skills initiatives like Africa Code Week because I am passionate about empowering young people in underserved communities,鈥� she says. Last year, she created an educational video encouraging children to learn computer programming with Scratch, MIT鈥檚 free online learning tool for coding. 鈥淪cratch is how I was introduced to coding,鈥� she says, mentioning all its various applications that make it fun for kids, from interactive stories and games to animations. Scratch forms an integral part of Africa Code Week, encouraging teachers and African governments to see how easy it is to get kids into coding and fast-track them to the 21^st century. To date, nine countries have adopted coding as a school subject thanks to the ongoing awareness, support, and contributions from the Africa Code Week program.

A proud, female code representative, Victory wears many hats and keeps herself busy with multiple projects. In addition to Africa Code Week, she is actively involved with , a nonprofit organization that promotes ICT development, youth innovation, and entrepreneurship across Africa.

鈥淢y first聽introduction to Coderina was during the pandemic last year. I helped facilitate the Lifelong Learning聽Program (LLP) sessions where young people were able to learn from a virtual聽space about everything digital skills related, from coding to 3D printing. I also taught a class during this period on design thinking and innovation.聽This year, I was a coach to the First Lego League (FLL) team comprising of a group of girls in secondary school in Nigeria. FLL is an exciting international robotics competition that is largely driven by Coderina.鈥�

Passionate About Finding Solutions

When asked what she likes about coding, Victory is unequivocal: she wants to find solutions. 鈥淚 love the challenge of being given a problem and using technology to find a way to solve it,鈥� she says. In 2019, she was part of the winning African team in the global mobile app building competition, Technovation. 鈥淭he problem we had to solve was double parking, which is common in Nigeria,鈥� she explains. 鈥淲e developed an app that uses location sensors to enable your phone to pick up whenever another car parks you in, so you can step outside and speak to the owner or can communicate with the owner via instant messaging on the app.鈥�

It is this same passion for solving problems that has made her pursue a career in computer science and molecular biology. 鈥淭here are so many different applications of these novel, overlapping fields, from aspects of synthetic biology to RNA sequencing in bioinformatics,鈥� she says. Some of the questions that interest her are whether DNA can be used to store digital data and what machine learning tools can be used to model a vaccine to tackle the next variant of the coronavirus.

One thing she鈥檚 sure about is that she doesn鈥檛 want to be put in a box. 鈥淭oo many young people are fixated about their future career, wanting to become a doctor, engineer, or lawyer,鈥� she says. 鈥淪o many things are unconventional now. Rather than having a fixed profession, I want to say, 鈥業 do computational biology and it allows me to proffer solutions to this and that.鈥欌�� Having a problem-solving mindset will elevate young Africans to be the change they want to see in the world, she believes 鈥� with a little bit of help from technology, of course.

Adam Hunter is EMEA communications lead for 51风流CSR.