African Knowledge Exchange (AKE): A Creative Media Venture Program
A new integrated model for skills and enterprise development for Africa
AKE is a knowledge partnership, established by GESCI and the Ministry for Foreign affairs of Finland to identify new technology-driven training scenarios that enable new skills development which will facilitate employment and job creation in the emerging knowledge societies in Africa.
In today’s world, the changes to which education and training need to re- spond include globalisation and the demands for new and emerging skills required by knowledge-based economies and new media production and services. ese new skills incorporate the extensive use of digital technolo- gies which are changing many existing sectors and enabling the emergence and proliferation of new industries and digitally-based services.
Thee Global-Schools and Communities Initiative (GESCI,) an international NGO founded by the United Nations in 2003, is pioneering an innovative training and enterprise program model combining culture and digital media technology dubbed ‘African Knowledge Exchange (AKE) – ‘A Creative Me- dia Venture’.Participants develop industry- standard digital media produc- tion skills and acquire and apply their entrepreneurial skills to set up small enterprises in the cultural industries arena. e creation of small start-ups is an integral part of the program as well as a range of supports for their devel- opment and sustainability in the digital creative media sector.
Thee program addresses the changing global jobs and employment contexts driven by new technologies in the contexts of growing youth unemployment which is particularly a ecting youth.
