Four of the cohort of 68 under the ID4M program; Regina Chidzanja, Aicia Mtsendero, Watipa Sibande and Ishmael Mwalwanda
* We are investing in data analytics, enterprise data management and roll out of cutting-edge digital offerings
* To maintain a strong trajectory of innovation we require a sustainable talent pipeline
Maravi Express
Four ICT students have graduated from six months of internship at Standard Bank Plc as part of the Inclusive Digital Transformation for Malawi (IDT4M) program in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and ICT Association of Malawi (ICTAM).
Advertisement
Standard Bank Chief Information Officer, Alvin Alfonso said the program underlines the Malawi Stock Exchange-listed bank’s commitment to developing the country’s digital banking landscape and creating jobs for youth in the sector.
“As Standard Bank Plc, we are investing in data analytics, enterprise data management and roll out of cutting-edge digital offerings,” he said. “To maintain a strong trajectory of innovation we require a sustainable talent pipeline.
“This is why we partnered with ICTAM and UNDP to tap into the unique knowledge of college graduates while also equipping them with real world work experience.”
Alfonso added that Standard Bank’s investments in digital banking systems position ICT as the backbone of innovation: “When this is successfully done it raises digital-transaction volumes, lowers costs, and makes banking more accessible to all,” he said.
During the six-months internship, the four interns were immersed in the dynamic world of our enterprise data office (EDO), and rotated across critical functions — data engineering, data governance, data quality, data science, and data visualisation & automations.
“In each area, they not only learned but actively contributed,” said Alfonso. “Their work in data visualization, peer reviews, and brainstorming sessions brought fresh thinking, creativity, and inquisitiveness — qualities that are the lifeblood of innovation in data & analytics.”
ICTAM representative, Andrew Kamwendo applauded Standard Bank for hosting the interns and giving them the opportunity to experience digital banking in the real environment, saying “banks have always represented the hub of ICT”.
“Thank you, Standard Bank, for believing in our interns, training them, and for allowing them to experience real workplace life in an environment as dynamic and demanding as the IT department of a multinational banking institution.”
Kamwendo said the UNDP-funded IDT4M program aims to transform Malawi’s digital landscape and to empower young people to thrive in today’s digital economy.
UNDP was represented at the event by their digital innovation analyst, Phyllis Chibisa, who congratulated the students for their hard work and commended the project partners.
Other components of the program being implemented by ICTAM include Community Digital Advocacy, Digital Ambassadors and the Innovation & Incubation Jam.
Advertisement