1 in 10 children in Africa leave school without any digital skills training, which limits much of what they can do in today’s corporate world.
The digital divide in Africa is significantly larger than that of the rest of the world. This disparity is primarily due to infrastructure limitations, high costs, and limited digital literacy.
At SARMLife, we recognize the urgency of equipping young Africans with the tools they need to thrive in a digital world, particularly now that the world gravitates toward a fully digital landscape.
One way to bridge this digital divide is by introducing effective digital skills training, thereby increasing their contribution to the continent’s digital future. This isn’t just about learning to use a computer; it’s about acquiring in-demand skills like data analysis, digital marketing, UI/UX design, digital project management, content creation, and more.
This recognition and understanding led to the creation of one of Africa’s top digital skills training programs, SDST, specifically for African youth.
About SDST
SDST stands for SARMLife Digital Skills Training, an annual give-back program that started in 2020 specifically to develop African Talent in the digital space.
Beyond a program, it is a movement toward a DIGITALLY EMPOWERED AFRICA!
This groundbreaking program shapes the future of digital transformation in Africa, creating a new generation of tech-savvy professionals with in-demand digital skills.
The program addresses critical skill gaps in Africa’s digital economy, preparing participants to seize emerging opportunities and drive innovation globally.
Our low registration fee reflects our give-back mission. It ensures that individuals from financially challenged backgrounds can access quality education that will transform their economic future through in-demand digital skills.
This access to quality education already started with our 211 graduates influencing the digital marketing industry.
These SDST alums excel as brand owners, digital consultants for companies in the tech and healthcare industries, and academic achievers pursuing advanced education.
Their success stories validate our commitment to advancing Africa’s digital transformation journey and strengthening the continent’s position in the global digital economy.
The program’s impact continues to grow, fostering a powerful movement toward digital empowerment in Africa.
Our Mission
Our mission is to transform lives through technology education and foster economic empowerment across Africa. By creating a pipeline of skilled tech professionals, we drive individual prosperity and continental development and directly address unemployment through digital opportunities.
Training Structure
Our training structure is designed to be accessible and flexible, catering to the diverse needs of African youth.
For 3-4 months, participants engage in a dynamic learning experience focused on in-demand digital skills.
This includes interactive live virtual sessions, comprehensive recorded classes for self-paced learning, and hands-on experience through individual and collaborative group projects.
We also foster an active community and provide opportunities for awards, certificates, internships, and lifetime access to learning materials.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of the training structure:
1. 3-4 Months Training
Previous SDST cohorts had three months of training. However, for SDST 2025, we are extending the timeline to give students ample time to learn and understand each digital skill taught.
Each skill will be taught for two weeks.
Our coaches’ curricula are concise and comprehensive, covering all the knowledge you need to start a career in that industry.
2. In-demand Digital Skills
SDST has always been about equipping African youths with relevant digital skills that increase their employability.
For SDST 2025, we’ve researched the digital skills that will be relevant and in demand in the coming years, and this has led to the addition of some skills to the curriculum.
Here are the digital skills you will learn in SDST 2025:
- Digital Marketing
- Content Writing
- Content Creation
- Social Media Management/Marketing
- UI/UX Design
- Data Analysis
- Digital Project Management
3. Live Virtual Sessions
Although we look forward to SDST’s transition to a hybrid model, all classes, including SDST 2025, are virtual for now.
The platforms used are Google Meet & WhatsApp.
4. Recorded Classes
All classes are pre-recorded and can be watched at your convenience.
However, we have one live session weekly, typically afternoons (EST) or evenings (WAT).
5. Individual Projects
During each training, the coach will assign individual projects to each student to assess their level of understanding.
The coach will determine these projects, which contributes to evaluating the best students per skill and the best student overall.
6. Group Projects
Past SDST students were divided into subgroups themed after interesting concepts, such as cars, football clubs, flowers, money heist movie characters, etc.
For SDST 2025, the subgroups will be named after global currencies such as the yen, Dollar, Pound, Won, and Naira.
Each subgroup is given projects per skill, and the coaches evaluate the results.
7. Awards
Awards are given to the best students for each training and the best graduating student overall.
For SDST 2025, here’s a breakdown of the awards to be expected:
Best Student Per Skill:
- Digital Marketing: 1-month free Ubersuggest Pro Subscription
- Content Writing: 1-month Free Grammarly Pro Subscription
- Content Creation: 1-month Free InShot Pro Subscription
- Social Media Management/Marketing: 1-month free Canva Pro Subscription
- UI/UX Design: 1-month free Canva Pro Subscription
- Data Analysis: 1-month Free SAS Training
- Digital Project Management: 1-month free Asana/Notion Onboarding assistance
Overall Best-Graduating Student:
- A laptop
- Digital certificate of excellence (different from training certificate)
- 3-month SEO internship with SARMLife
- Certificates
Certificates are given to all students who successfully complete their training. Completing your assessments is a requirement for course completion and certification.
SDST is an initiative of SARMLife Digital School Limited registered with the Nigerian Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC)—our CAC Reg. No. is 8027494. This means that all certificates are valid worldwide.
8. Internship Opportunities
Every SDST student gets an opportunity to intern with SARMLife and other relevant digital companies to gain field experience in their chosen digital skill.
SARMLife has started strategic partnerships with some companies, and we hope to expand the reach to local and international digital agencies.
9. An Active Community
SARMLife has an active Telegram community for all SDST alums. In this community, we share relevant information, job opportunities, and success stories.
This helps us keep in touch with our alums and offers them opportunities to advance in the digital space.
10. Lifetime Access
Every SDST student has lifetime access to all SDST content from their cohort, including freebies. Our 2020 alums still have their PDF files and class notes, which they use in their daily digital journey.
SDST 2025 (What’s New?)
1. Targeting Nine African Countries
SDST started in 2020, and in the years we’ve had this program, we’ve watched it grow from a digital empowerment training to an innovative initiative that pushes the boundaries year after year.
SDST initially focused on digital empowerment for Nigerians, but by 2024, we had already crossed borders and reached five (5) African countries, namely:
- Nigeria
- Ghana
- Kenya
- Senegal
- Côte d’Ivoire
Now, in 2025, we are going bigger! We are targeting more African countries, including:
- South Africa
- Cameroon
- Sierra Leone, and
- The Gambia
- Focus on in-demand digital skills
After adequate research and planning, SDST 2025 brings seven (7) in-demand digital skills from top coaches across Africa to your doorstep.
We have:
- Data Analysis
- UI/UX Design
- Social Media Management/Marketing
- Digital Marketing
- Content Creation
- Content Writing
- Digital Project Management
We have coaches from the United States, Nigeria, Ghana, and the United Kingdom presenting updated curricula in their respective skills.
2. Job Fair Week
For the first time in SDST history, we’re bridging the gap between our students and the industry through the job fair week!
Through the years, our students have been the ones going to look for internships and job opportunities.
However, for SDST 2025, we are doing all the legwork for our students by pitching to relevant local and international companies whose services match the skills taught.
Toward the end of the training, we will invite these companies to meet with the students and inform them of the internship opportunities available to them.
3. Mentor-Mentee Program
In addition to the new skills and coaches, SDST 2025 will launch new programs, such as a mentor-mentee program, to provide additional student support and practical workshops with guest speakers to prepare SDST graduates for the real world.
We will match interested SDST students with SDST alums who have gone through the system and are actively in the digital space. This program aims to provide the students with additional support from someone who understands and can see things from their perspective.
It also allows the SDST alums to gain mentoring experience and expand their portfolios.
4. Practical Workshops
Another addition to SDST 2025 is the practical workshops we will offer our students.
We’ve always had guest speakers for SDST who come to talk briefly on specific aspects of digital skills acquisition. However, for SDST 2025, we are even more intentional.
We are bringing in experienced guest speakers to talk about practical topics that will be useful when our students go out into the field.
These include:
- Resume-building & Interview Process Guidelines Workshop
- Portfolio Building Workshop
- Fiverr + Upwork Masterclass
- Personal Branding & Salary Negotiation Masterclass
These practical workshops will equip our students better for the real world.
SDST 2025 TRAINING DETAILS
START DATE: March 3rd, 2025
END OF COACHING: June 6th, 2025
ROUND-UP WEEK: June 7th – 13th, 2025.
REGISTRATION FEE: #15,000 / $10
SDST Success Stories
SDST students have experienced outstanding successes in their respective fields.
Here are some selected success stories from our students:
Zainab Babalola Olajuwon – Nigeria.
Zainab started building her brand in healthcare marketing and recently completed her three-month Internship with The Academy of Population Health Pharmacy (aPHP), a US-based pharmaceutical company.
In her words: “SDST has helped improve my career journey, and I cannot wait to do much more with the skillset I have acquired”
Dorcas Pinkrah Kyei – Ghana.
Dorcas said, “SDST has helped me stand out as an administrative officer. It has also taught me to use my skills like Graphic design and Excel to work efficiently.”
Her pursuit of digital skills has opened her up to an opportunity to pursue her Masters Degree in Project Management with a focus on Analytics at Northeastern University in Boston, USA.
SDST Reviews
Here are some reviews from our previous SDST students:
- “Being a part of the SDST is a real game changer for me. The practical knowledge and soft skills I have acquired from the training have enhanced how I see things and my overall performance.”
Collins
- “I have gained more than I imagined or expected from SDST: the support, the new, valuable friendships, the regular assignments that test our strengths, and the motivation to start my brand.”
Confidence
- “My goal was to equip myself with the necessary tools and knowledge to thrive and gain a competitive advantage in the digital landscape, and I achieved that at SDST. The coaches were exceptional. Their courses were delivered in the simplest way possible for easy comprehension.”
Olutosin A.
- “If you want to grow personally and professionally, SDST is for you! Beyond grounding me in digital skills that make me relevant in today’s world, it grew my self-confidence. I started believing I could become and achieve more than I ever imagined.”
Erica
- “During digital marketing month at SDST, I learned many marketing tips that helped me better position myself as a blogger and digital marketer. Now, I am implementing what I learned and have been working on Fiverr and other freelance projects. Thank you.”
Obasola Olakunle O.
- “The knowledge I gained from the Creative Writing and Content Creation courses has enabled me to start creating quality branded content with improved storytelling. My content has also caught the attention of a YouTube web series writer.”
Anny James
SARMLife Digital Skills Training (SDST) FAQs
1. How detailed are the courses?
Each coach prepares a comprehensive course outline that covers all the required knowledge you will need to start a career in that industry.
2. Are the skills self-paced, or are there set times for class meetings or lectures?
SDST uses a hybrid teaching model with a structured timeframe for completing each skill. During this timeframe, scheduled watch times and completion dates are set for each pre-recorded course module, assignment, and project. We also record all weekly live sessions, enabling those unable to join LIVE to re-watch later.
3. What time is each session?
All classes are pre-recorded and can be watched at your convenience. However, we have one live session per week, which is typically in the afternoons (EST) or evenings (WAT).
4. How long does each session take?
Pre-recorded classes can be as short as 5 minutes or as long as 1 hour 30 minutes. However, all weekly live sessions typically last 1 hour and 30 minutes.
5. Are there any additional fees for course materials or resources?
OH, NO!!! Every material/resource from SDST is free upon paying the registration fee.
6. Is it virtual or in-person?
All our sessions are currently virtual.
7. Are there certificates?
Oh, yes! SARMLife Digital School Limited is registered with the Nigerian Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), our CAC Reg. No. is 8027494, and all the certificates are valid worldwide.
8. What platforms will be used?
Google Meet & WhatsApp
9. Do I have lifetime access to the content?
You have lifetime access to all SDST content from your cohort, including freebies. Our 2020 alums still have their PDF files and class notes, which they use in their daily digital journey.
10. Is there a way to interact with other students or instructors during the course?
Oh, yes! We have a WhatsApp group for all SDST students. Students are also divided into subgroups themed after interesting concepts, such as cars, football clubs, flowers, money heist movie characters, etc.
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