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Dikuno Community Development Trust

Northam ICT Centre

A young learner smiling at the camera while using a laptop at the Northam ICT Centre
Learners and community members working at laptops in the Northam ICT Centre
A learner using a keyboard with a Google search on the laptop screen
Two women working through course books beside their laptops
A facilitator presenting a lesson at the interactive screen
A woman smiling in front of the Dikuno logo on the interactive screen
A man seated in front of the Dikuno sign at the centre

As South Africa’s economy becomes more digital, access to technology is no longer enough. Young people also need practical digital skills to study further, use online services and compete for work.

More than a computer room

Statistics South Africa’s 2023 General Household Survey shows that while 96.1% of South African households owned at least one cell phone, far fewer had reliable access to computers and fixed connectivity at home. The Northam ICT Centre helps close that gap.

Today the Centre is used by learners, teachers and community members. Learners use the computers for assignments, research and basic digital skills. Teachers prepare lessons there. Community members draft CVs, complete online applications and reach digital services that were previously difficult to access.

Kagiso’s story

Kagiso attended Northam Comprehensive School, later joined the ICT programme to build his computer skills and confidence, and now volunteers at the Centre. Today he helps learners with assignments and supports first-time computer users as they develop the same skills that opened doors for him.

His journey from learner, to beneficiary, to mentor reflects the kind of community development Dikuno wants to strengthen: people gaining skills and then using them to support others.

Dikuno 2025 Annual Report

Looking ahead

The Northam ICT Centre is an important first step in Dikuno’s longer-term vision for digital inclusion. Under the Trust’s Multi-Year Development Plan, the programme will grow from basic digital literacy into structured pathways for recognised digital qualifications and future-focused skills. Planned areas include ICDL certification, cloud computing, cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), with stronger links to workplace exposure and employment.

In the long term, success will be measured not only by computers installed or courses delivered, but by the opportunities created: young people gaining recognised skills, moving into further learning or work, and returning, like Kagiso, to strengthen the communities that invested in them.

  • Kagiso, who found his path at the Northam ICT Centre and now volunteers as a mentor
  • A young learner using a laptop at the Centre

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