• UNITAR is collaborating with HP for a Japan-funded programme for sub-Saharan Africa. 
• The Japan-Africa programme will run from August 2026 to February 2027 with more than 2,000 participants from 11 Anglophone countries. 
• The programme aims to equip young professionals and women to create sustainable economic value and strengthen connections between African and Japanese innovation ecosystems. 
• HP will provide industry expertise for the programme’s first component: The Digital Intelligence: Business Technology & AI Literacy. 
• The participants will then continue to develop ideas, engage with partners and investors, and join an Africa–Japan Innovation and Partnership Round Table. 

AI is rapidly changing how businesses operate, develop products and services, reach markets and make decisions. For emerging entrepreneurs and professionals, however, access to technology alone is not enough. The ability to identify where AI can create value, and to use it appropriately, is increasingly becoming an essential business capability. 

The Digital Intelligence: Business Technology & AI Literacy component therefore focuses on the practical application of AI and digital technologies in business and entrepreneurial settings. Participants will explore how these tools can support areas such as business analysis, productivity, innovation, problem-solving and the development of new products and services.

HP will provide industry expertise and access to its AI Foundry, a comprehensive programme designed to enhance AI literacy and skills across various sectors. Drawing on its extensive experience in digital learning, HP will equip participants to introduce emerging technologies in accessible and creative ways. Its HP Gaming Garage, for example, has developed learning content around emerging technologies including generative AI and their application to game development, and was recognized as Best Corporate Social Responsibility Programme at Global Educational Supplies & Solutions (GESS) Dubai 2024. 

For UNITAR Empower Africa participants, HP will help connect classroom learning with use of technology in real world contexts. The programme will encourage learners to move beyond understanding AI to identifying where it can solve challenges, create value, and be used responsibly to deliver meaningful outcomes. 

The Business Technology & AI Literacy component forms part of a broader progression in the Japan-funded Empower Africa Programme. The capabilities participants develop during Phase I will serve as a foundation for subsequent learning on project development, mentorship, ecosystem engagement and international partnership-building. 

As participants advance through the programme, they will have opportunities to further develop selected ideas and initiatives and connect with relevant partners, investors, mentors and other actors in the venture ecosystem. In 2027, the programme will culminate in an Africa–Japan Innovation and Partnership Round Table, which will bring together participants and stakeholders from the public and private sectors of Japan and Africa to explore pathways for collaboration, implementation and scaling. 

Through Japan’s support for the programme and the collaboration with HP, UNITAR seeks to create a learning environment in which African youth and women can build the capabilities they need to engage confidently with technological change – and translate emerging digital and AI opportunities into practical solutions, enterprises and partnerships that contribute to inclusive and sustainable economic development.