By Reuben Maake
Johannesburg – Young people in rural areas are less empowered and have low access to opportunities compared to those living in developed areas such as cities and metros.
While having access to opportunities is limited for young people in some areas in South Africa, now is an opportune moment for the rural youth to maximise opportunities that come with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).
The new era is characterised by ample opportunities because technological advancement brings new sets of skills as the world moves into a virtual reality.
It is an era for sophisticated machines to perform human duties.
But how can this era be of benefit to the most disenfranchised youth of this country to maximise opportunities as strong digitisation takes over?
Unemployment levels are high among young people and they will continue to rise unless the youth, especially in rural areas, are empowered with technological skills in order to explore the ample opportunities provided by the new era.
Access to resources such as computers, smartphones, Wi-Fi and data plays a huge role in what South Africa wants to achieve.
Smartphone usage has significantly increased compared to 10 years ago.
This also refers to those in rural areas who mostly have access to entry-level gadgets such as smartphones, laptops and tablets that are not enabled with sophisticated software and technology to perform tasks.
In this instance, it is safe to say the cracks of the great digital divide between the poor and the rich are slowly becoming invisible, however, data access is the elephant in the room.
Government intervention is required for establishing ICT empowerment centres to give access to the internet and technological gadgets to those who need it the most. These empowerment centres need to be equipped with Wi-Fi access fitted with state-of-the-art computers and computer programs that will enable disadvantaged youth to explore online opportunities.
The government and the private sector need to come together to provide free data to the needy.
Young people in rural areas are struggling with access to data compared to those living in developed areas.
Those living in cities have access to many free Wi-Fi areas such as malls, schools and transportation hubs.
The youth in rural areas, on the other hand, have to travel many kilometres to access data, which most cannot even afford.
The move to digitisation means that in 10 years, young people without the relevant digital skills will not fit in a contemporary workplace as corporations move to virtual operations.
Companies must also make it their responsibility to work with rural youth, especially graduates. Computer science graduates can take advantage of the increased use of apps and develop new apps that would make the lives of ordinary citizens easier.
There is so much potential in the youth in rural settings, they just have not been granted opportunities to catapult them to improve their lives.
Maake is a communication practitioner at the University of Limpopo. He is writing in his personal capacity.
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