Building a Township Tech Hub

This is part two in a series highlighting the SAP Social Sabbatical for global engagement in Cape Town, South Africa, which focused on bridging the digital divide in the city’s most underserved communities. Stay tuned for part III, out next week. Read part one here.

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Climbing the wooden staircase to the top of Lookout Hill, one finds sweeping panoramic views of the Cape Flats area skirting Cape Town. Khayelitsha, the second-largest and fastest-growing township in South Africa, sprawls to the east; the township of Mitchell’s Plain rolls to the west. At the base of the hill, strategically situated between these two underserved communities, is the Khayelitsha Bandwidth Barn, a startup incubator and accelerator serving community entrepreneurs.

The Barn is an activity of Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative (CiTi), an almost 20-year-old NGO focused on building digital skills and spurring entrepreneurship throughout Cape Town. CiTi launched the Barn two years ago to foster inclusive economic growth in the Township communities. Twelve years ago, Luvuyo Rani started his digital services business from the back of his car. Today, entrepreneurs like Luvuyo, can launch their business with the support, resources, and facilities offered by the Barn.

Continue reading at The Global Engagement Forum: Online.