{"id":49053,"date":"2026-02-03T13:33:59","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T13:33:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/?p=49053"},"modified":"2026-02-03T13:33:59","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T13:33:59","slug":"u-s-to-launch-digital-ai-skills-training-program-in-burkina-faso-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/2026\/02\/03\/u-s-to-launch-digital-ai-skills-training-program-in-burkina-faso-in-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. to Launch Digital, AI Skills Training Program in Burkina Faso in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The United States plans to launch a training program focused on digitalization and artificial intelligence in Burkina Faso in 2026, the Ministry of Digital Transition said Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>The announcement followed a Jan. 21 meeting between Digital Transition Minister Aminata Zerbo\/Sabane and U.S. Ambassador to Burkina Faso Joann M. Lockard in Ouagadougou, according to the ministry.<\/p>\n<p>Lockard said the initiative aims to strengthen digital skills among young Burkinab\u00e8 through training sessions to be held at American Spaces in Ouagadougou, Bobo-Dioulasso and Koudougou.<\/p>\n<p>The program will focus on digital tools, emerging technologies and practical applications of artificial intelligence, with the goal of building local technical capacity and improving youth employability.<\/p>\n<p>The planned initiative builds on broader digital cooperation between the two countries. In 2025, a consortium of U.S. companies supported several activities during Burkina Faso\u2019s Digital Week, signaling increased American engagement in the country\u2019s technology ecosystem.<\/p>\n<p>The announcement also comes as demand for digital skills continues to rise across Africa. The World Bank estimates that about 230 million jobs in Sub-Saharan Africa will require digital skills by 2030, underscoring the growing importance of training and reskilling initiatives.<\/p>\n<p>Burkina Faso faces particularly acute challenges in this area. In 2023, about 34% of Burkinab\u00e8 youth were not in employment, education or training, according to World Bank data cited in an Afrobarometer report published in June 2025. Youth unemployment is estimated at 8.2%, highlighting persistent barriers to labor market integration.<\/p>\n<p>Against this backdrop, expanding access to digital and AI skills is increasingly seen as a priority for supporting economic transformation. If implemented, the planned U.S.-backed program could help open new professional opportunities for young people, encourage the growth of digital-related careers and support Burkina Faso\u2019s broader goals around digital sovereignty and human capital development.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n#U.S #Launch #Digital #Skills #Training #Program #Burkina #Faso<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The United States plans to launch a training program focused on digitalization and artificial intelligence in Burkina Faso in 2026,&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42853,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,11],"tags":[1149,583,1890,2903,3169,1602,2112,1466],"class_list":["post-49053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mzansi","category-world","tag-burkina","tag-digital","tag-faso","tag-launch","tag-program","tag-skills","tag-training","tag-u-s"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49053","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49053"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49053\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49054,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49053\/revisions\/49054"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}