- Denis Opio is a Ugandan social entrepreneur who created an IT hub in his community to build digital literacy.
- Denis participated in the UNITAR “Developing Essential Digital Skills for Women and Youth in Africa” programme.
- The UNITAR programme equipped Denis with knowledge and skills about information technology, business management and self-care to help him empower his community with digital literacy and financial independence.
UNITAR
26 November 2024, Hiroshima, Japan – Denis Opio grew up in a village in Uganda, home to a mainly lower-middle-class population. Computers were a rare sight, and knowing someone who knew how to use one was even more scarce. When he went to university to study accounting, Dennis grappled with learning how to use a computer. And that was when he realized that there was a need for IT training in his community.
Denis says that in his village, most people don’t know much about computers. They might see computers but do not have the opportunity to use them or develop basic computer skills. In an increasingly digital world, this lack of access means many opportunities are closed to people in his community.
Denis’s village is not alone. With a thriving global Internet economy, this lack of digital skills makes many Ugandans – especially young people – less competitive on the job market. The inclusion of digital skills in school curricula and accessibility of training resources are thought to be possible ways to close gaps in digital literacy and create opportunities for youth find work.
A Haven of Information Technology
Denis decided to act. He launched an IT hub in his community, creating a place where people can come and use computers free of charge. There, they learn skills, from operating a computer to using software like Photoshop or Illustrator. Through the IT hub, Denis is breaking down barriers to digital literacy and equipping people with skills to accelerate their professional development and secure jobs.
After finding success with the IT hub, Denis looked to greater heights. He wanted to empower the people in his community to monetize their skills so that they can become more self-reliant rather than feeling they must depend on support from NGOs. He is adamant about providing equal opportunity to everyone in his community.
I want to see my community empowered when it comes to IT, especially the youth and the women…. They lack the self-confidence to come out because they think most of these jobs, these IT jobs, are probably for men.” –Denis Opio, IT entrepreneur and UNITAR alumnus, Uganda
To accomplish this goal, Denis pursued his next transformation with the help of UNITAR.
Learning More
UNITAR
Denis heard about the UNITAR “Developing Essential Digital Skills for Women and Youth in Africa” training programme from a friend and decided to give it a try. The programme, offered free thanks to the generous support of the Government and People of Japan, aimed to enhance the employability and competitiveness of African women and youth with digital skills for a digital-driven world. Spanning four months, it ended in February 2024 and covered critical topics in business and information technology.
Participants were split into the Microsoft or IBM track based on their interests. Each track included self-paced learning, a self-led project, a boot camp, webinar or hackathon and a community and sustainability workshop. Through the IBM track, Denis learned how to analyse, interpret and present data. After the virtual portion of the programme, he was invited to participate in the hackathon session in Kenya, where he earned second place for his project to support youth and women with vocational training and skill development, mentorship and career guidance, and connect them with employment opportunities. Denis enjoyed the opportunity to compete and present his project to audiences not just from Kenya but from all over the world.
The UNITAR programme equipped Denis with the skills to advocate for digital literacy in his community and raised the profile of his project. Denis enjoys sharing what he learned with his colleagues and the people he meets, saying that whenever he does, “I’ve improved their capacity [and] their knowledge on information technology.”
The UNITAR programme also shifted how Denis approaches his work. His favourite course was not focused on information technology or business, but on mindfulness. Learning how to incorporate mindfulness into his work reduced his stress while improving his productivity.
In other areas, Denis says he learned project management skills so he can juggle additional projects. He also found the lessons on artificial intelligence (AI) particularly interesting because he did not know anything about AI before. He is now considering how to use AI to empower his community to attain digital literacy and financial independence.
A Budding Future: “This Is Just the Beginning”
UNITAR
Denis is currently working on two projects. One of them is an application that will connect farmers with buyers, thus removing the need for intermediate brokers and eradicating the potential for exploitation. In this, he is helped by participants of his first project, the IT hub. Once the participants achieve basic digital literacy, they are then trained in software development. Denis then employs them to help develop the application, which is expected to be ready in early 2025.
Denis is a monitoring and evaluation professional and so his second project is an AI chatbot that specializes in answering monitoring and evaluation questions. His intent is for the bot to support his colleagues in the monitoring and evaluation field. The AI chatbot is expected to be complete within 2024.
Denis credits his success in managing these projects to the skills he gained from the project management course. He expressed his appreciation for UNITAR because it opened “so many doors and I believe more doors are still opening.” In the future, he would like to see his projects expand their reach to empower communities nationwide and beyond.
United Nations Online Volunteer Morgan Sattler contributed to this article.
The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) is a dedicated training arm of the United Nations. In 2023, UNITAR trained over 540,000 learners around the world to support their actions for a better future. UNITAR has a global presence, with offices in Geneva, Hiroshima, New York and Bonn and networks around the world. Find out more at www.unitar.org