Nokia teams up with Plan to give a voice to young people in Africa

Children and young adults are set to benefit

Children and young adults in Africa are set to benefit from a new corporate collaboration with telecommunications company Nokia, which will focus on broadening access to information and communication technology (ICT) for communities affected by poverty.

The first stage of this collaboration will see Nokia focus on supporting Plan's existing child-media and ICT-related projects in Africa. Jussi Ojutkangas, Corporate Partnerships Director for Plan Finland said; "I am really happy about this unique global co-operation which will create many new possibilities for Plan.

"The co-operation will focus on empowering African youth and improving their self-expression through the use of modern technology. This will be done by expanding the opportunities for African people to use ICT to improve their lives."

Tom Miller, Chief Executive of Plan International, said; "Plan is committed to working in partnerships, not only with local groups or governments in the countries where we work, but also with like-minded corporate organisations like Nokia. I believe that this co-operation will deliver long-term sustainable benefits for hundreds of communities in the developing world."

Positive track record

Veli Sundbäck, Executive Vice President for Corporate Relations and Responsibility at Nokia, added: "The aim of our co-operation with Plan is to fight poverty by empowering African youth and giving them a voice through the use of technology.

"Plan has a good existing network, positive track record and extensive experience in using technology for youth development in Africa and was therefore, a very good value fit for Nokia."