Swazi Observer

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NAZARENE PUPIL MEETS UN WOMEN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

By Qondile Ntiwane | 2019-02-11

SHE is not just CEO of the award-winning Manzini Nazarene High School JA Nazware Company but Sizolwethu Maphanga has proven to be a teen of many talents.

Her recent achievements in a United Nations programme for Young Women in Science and Technology earned her a special invitation from UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka in Ethiopia.

JA is Junior Achievement, a programme that equips young people with entrepreneurship skills.

The now Form Five pupil was together with another pupil from Nyetane High School in the Lubombo region, amongst 80 girls from 34 African countries who attended the first Coding Camp in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 24 August 2018.

The camp marked the launch of the African Girls Can Code Initiative, a joint programme of the African Union Commission, UN Women and the International Telecommunications Union where she designed the winning logo to be the face of the competition.

The four-year programme is designed to equip young girls with digital literacy, coding and personal development skills. They will be trained as programmers, creators and designers, placing them on-track to take up education and careers in ICT and coding.

Initiative

The African Girls Can Code Initiative will run from 2018-2022 and is expected to reach more than 2 000 girls through 18 Coding Camps (two international, 12 regional and four in Ethiopia).

Sizolwethu, who also won the Junior Achievement Africa Best CEO in Ghana last year, jetted out to Ethiopia on Friday for her meeting with the secretary general and returned home yesterday.

Eswatini National Youth Council (ENYC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Makhosami Dlamini said they were happy with the pupil’s achievement.

“Designing and winning the logo that will be the face of this new programme by the UN is something big not only for the pupil but the country.

“That she also received a special invitation from the secretary general shows that she is an incredible child who needs to be nurtured and given the right exposure.

“She will be making some presentations during her visit and we are awaiting her return so she can share what it is she learnt during her visit,” he said.

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