StarNews Mobile, a network of mobile video channels providing entertainment content to underserved mobile users in Africa, today launched its Youth Initiative incubator in partnership with Solutions on Point (Pty) Ltd, a 360° marketing agency based in South Africa, to empower young individuals interested in the digital film industry.

The StarNews Mobile Youth Initiative incubator provides participants with the opportunity to explore the digital film industry by offering equal opportunity to both skilled and learning participants in order to provide livelihood and open doors to new career paths. The incubator serves as a launch pad for people to come together, master a new expertise and cultivate a thriving community.  The incubator will offer mentorship, entrepreneurial guidance and career opportunities to advance them out of the poverty threshold.

“If it wasn’t for this program by StarNews Mobile, I’d still be unskilled and unemployed with a college qualification,” said Lehlohonolo Ndou, member of StarNews Mobile Youth Initiative. “I’ve honestly learned a lot on this journey and hope that the program grows into other provinces!!”

Since launch, the StarNews Youth Initiative incubator has grown by 400% and includes women and children under the age of 25. The program is dedicated to adding value to the South African economy with plans to expand across the continent.

“Working with StarNews Mobile has been a great experience for me and it has added value to my business in a very impactful way,” said Thabiso Tshabalala, Founder and CEO, Solutions on Point Ltd. “I’ve hired two more people full-time in my company since we’ve partnered with StarNews Mobile and have built a solid production team of 10 who they’ve employed.”

Founded in 2017, StarNews Mobile was created with local African content creators and fans in mind. Guy Kamgaing, a Cameroonian native, observed the opportunity for value-added services tailored to the African market which led him to form StarNews Mobile. Kamgaing established strong distribution and marketing partnerships with pan-African mobile operators such as MTN, Orange and Moov. The company collaborates with popular local and international stars in South Africa and The Ivory Coast to create compelling short videos for fans to enjoy.

“Our main objective is to partner with the local government and our partner MTN to expand the project across all nine provinces in South Africa and to hopefully implement the same strategy in other territories within the African continent,” said Guy Kamgaing, Founder and CEO, StarNews Mobile.

Today, StarNews Mobile is available in the Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Congo and South Africa and will be launching in Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and other countries.