Rishi Sunak, an Oxford and Stanford alumni, and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, caused outrage online after his tweet about university education went viral.
Rishi in a tweet yesterday said, “You don’t have to go to university to succeed in life,”even though he himself has gone to the world’s best universities. Some Rishi supporters agreed with him saying education in itself doesn’t guarantee success, but is very important to prepare one for the real world.
“Education doesn’t guarantee success, but formal education is very important,” posted Daniel Regha on X platform. “Let’s be realistic. University prepares one for the real world & graduating with good grades can pave ways when/if the opportunity arise. Connection can only get one so far, plus being a graduate brings respect.”
Though several others disagreed with Regha about any form of respect education brings, Mumbi Ndungu, Executive Director, the Nairobi-based tech talent development organization Power Learn Project (PLP) says education is important and people should embrace lifelong learning to adapt and thrive in a dynamic world.
“Across the countries we operate in, Universities have provided a strong foundation, nurturing critical thinking, communication, and research – all essential for navigating an ever-evolving career landscape,” Ndungu told TechMoran. “Governments are stepping up too, offering job training programs to bridge the skills gap. Many universities are innovating, developing programs focused on in-demand skills, and forging partnerships with businesses to ensure their curriculum stays relevant.”
PLP has trained over 10,000 graduates and built a thriving community of 30,000 passionate young people in a mission to equip young Africans with the essential tech skills they need to succeed in the digital age. PLP aims o train 1 million young people and empower them with tech employability skills.
PLP goes beyond just training and connects its graduates with potential employers and mentors, providing them with invaluable guidance and support as they navigate their careers. This network is crucial for talent management and helps secure sustainable livelihoods for its graduates.
PLP focuses on training, skill acquisition, talent management, and empowering young Africans with tech skills, making a positive difference across the continent, something Mumbi has always been passionate about since her childhood.
Mumbi Ndungu, a visionary leader in Digital Development & Transformation, Social Innovation, Economics, and non-profit management with over a decade of experience advocating for education, economic empowerment, and gender equality, founded PLP to equip young Africans with market-ready tech skills and engage them through comprehensive talent development, including training, acquisition, management, and mobility, to support them in achieving gainful livelihoods.
Ndungu has served in various capacities at both local and international levels in notable entities such as the World Bank, The IGAD Centre of Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (ICPCVE, Djibouti), The African Union Youth for Peace Secretariat (Addis Ababa), ILO Decent Jobs for Youth Consortium, government institutions, and corporate entities across Africa. I am also a distinguished social entrepreneur, pioneering initiatives aimed at addressing pressing societal issues. She has also founded multiple enterprises, including Ibua Africa, focused on promoting media inclusion, crowd-funding, and advocacy, and Nora Impact Africa, dedicated to advancing women’s financial inclusion and innovating access to infrastructure.
Ndungu was appointed to the Global Coordination team on SDG 8, focusing on unemployment and entrepreneurship, working directly with the UN Youth Envoys Office with a focus on Africa. She has also been honored as an Associate Fellow of the Royal Commonwealth Society in the UK, recognized among the Top 100 Most Influential Young Africans, and selected as a Nasser Leadership Fellow in Egypt. She has also been named a British Council Creative Enterprise Fellow in Ethiopia and the Zuri Awards Young Achiever of the Year in Kenya. Last year, she was recognized as one of Empower Africa’s 35 trailblazers who significantly shaped Africa’s tech landscape in 2023.
Mumbi Ndungu founded PLP in 2021 to bridge the dynamic and high-quality tech talent gap in Africa. PLP stands as Africa’s premier tech talent development organization, democratizing tech education to the continent’s youth.
“At the heart of PLP’s mission lies a commitment to empowering Africans with market-ready skills, fostering comprehensive talent development encompassing training, acquisition, management, and mobility to enable them to secure meaningful livelihoods,” she said, adding that, “Ultimately, the onus of staying relevant shouldn’t fall solely on institutions. It takes shared commitment. Individuals must embrace lifelong learning to adapt and thrive in a dynamic world.”
PLP has empowered thousands of young Africans, and recently established a new Board of Directors to scale its impact and reach even more young minds across the continent.
“With their guidance, we can expand our program offerings, explore new regions, and ultimately, empower a future generation of African tech leaders. We’re not resting on our laurels but constantly striving to make PLP a force for positive change across Africa,” she said.
PLP has faced several challenges in achieving its mission of empowering African youth through tech education such as creating awareness around its scholarship program. Many young people are not fully aware of the opportunities available to them in the tech industry, and communicating the importance and benefits of these programs is crucial.
Additionally, the fast-paced nature of the tech industry means that youth must quickly recognize the need for upskilling to remain competitive. However, even when the need is recognized, access to necessary resources such as the internet and devices becomes a significant barrier. Since PLP’s program requires learners to have access to a device, this has been a critical issue for many potential learners.
To address these challenges, Mumbi Ndungu says PLP has proactively engaged with partners such as Close the Gap to ensure learners have access to devices to make its program more accessible to all, breaking down the barriers of device and internet accessibility.
In 2022, Power Learn Project in partnered with Adanian Labs S.A and the ICRD Group’s Startup Business Campus to launch the #1MillionDevs4Africa Program in South Africa, in a bid to train 1 Million software developers across the continent by 2027. South Africa was the second country in Africa, after Kenya, to introduce the #1MillionDevs4Africa program.
