Empower+ Launches Across Africa to Unlock AI Skills for the Next Generation
A new mobile-first platform from Microsoft and the Education Plus Initiative expands access to digital and AI learning for women and young people
Twenty-one countries throughout Africa will get free access to digital skills and courses, including emerging Artificial Intelligence, and content that links digital opportunity with HIV awareness and prevention.
Microsoft and Education Plus, an initiative supported by UNAIDS, announced the launch of Empower+, an AI-powered digital skills platform designed to equip young people across Africa with future‑ready capabilities. The platform is being rolled out across 21 African countries, with a strong focus on reaching adolescent girls and young women who are most at risk of being left behind in both the digital economy and the HIV response.
Free to access and optimised for mobile use, Empower+ delivers courses on foundational digital literacy, emerging AI skills, and content linking digital opportunity with HIV awareness and prevention. The initiative responds to a critical challenge: while demand for digital and AI skills is accelerating across the continent, access to relevant, inclusive learning opportunities remains deeply unequal.
“Access to education and skills is one of the most powerful enablers of opportunity,” said Tiara Pathon, AI Skills Director at Microsoft Elevate. “Through Empower+, we are working alongside Education Plus to ensure learners across Africa can access the tools and knowledge they need to adapt, contribute, and thrive in a rapidly changing world.”
What Empower+ Offers
Empower+ combines Microsoft’s global expertise in digital and AI skilling with Education Plus’ extensive partnerships across Africa. Courses progress from basic digital literacy to applied AI skills and are designed to meet learners wherever they are—whether in school, out of school, or preparing to enter the workforce. The platform is available in multiple languages and is accessible on low‑bandwidth mobile devices, removing key barriers to participation.
Integrated into the broader Education Plus Initiative, Empower+ connects digital skills development to wider social and economic outcomes. It directly addresses the intersecting challenges of gender inequality, limited economic opportunity, and HIV vulnerability that continue to shape the lives of adolescent girls and young women across sub‑Saharan Africa.
“Keeping girls in school transforms their life options,” said Anne Githuku‑Shongwe, UNAIDS Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa. “In partnership with Microsoft, digital inclusion will facilitate access to skills, information, and opportunity. Together, we can enable thousands of women and girls to remain free from HIV and build more promising futures.”
Closing the Digital Gender Gap
Empower+ aligns with Microsoft’s global Elevate Skills commitment and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, supporting governments, civil society organisations, and education systems to prepare young people for an AI‑enabled economy. The platform was unveiled during a virtual launch event that brought together youth advocates, development partners, and policymakers to explore how cross‑sector collaboration can scale digital opportunity across the continent.
Learn more and access the platform:
https://empowerplus-ed.org