Cisco has launched an information and communication technology (ICT) training initiative aimed at addressing the skills shortage in Africa and strengthening its own workforce.

The initiative, under the auspices of the company's Global Talent Acceleration Program (GTAP), will first be implemented in South Africa this year before being rolled out to other countries, including Zambia.

"Africa is currently experiencing tremendous growth in the ICT sector, which needs enough skilled manpower to manage, hence this initiative will greatly help in this regard," said Communications Authority of Zambia (CAZ) public relations officer Ngabo Nankonde in a phone interview.

Cisco plans to train people on Cisco equipment and then offer them employment. The training program is fully sponsored by Cisco on condition that those trained work for the company for at least a year. The company plans to start by training 200 people this year.

Cisco has partnered with a South African-based ICT training company, Torgue IT, to host and manage the training in Johannesburg.

In Africa, Cisco works mainly with national carriers and mobile service providers.

The entire African region is experiencing tremendous IT growth, but finding the right talent to support the expansion is becoming a critical challenge for governments and organizations, said Phil Wolfenden, senior director of Cisco Advanced Service in emerging markets, in a statement issued by the company.

Cisco chose South Africa because of its established IT infrastructure and economy, combined with the fact that it is easily accessible from all parts of Africa.