From perspective to practice: How PWA Academy is building talent for Africa’s digital economy

Nii Tackie (Kenny) Tagoe: Director, Business Affairs and Talent, Publicis West Africa

PWA Academy, the talent development initiative of Publicis West Africa, is demonstrating how structured, intentional, and locally embedded efforts can unlock the potential of Africa’s youth and prepare them for meaningful roles - not only within Ghana, but across the continent and beyond.

Through its internship programmes, national service training tracks, and university outreach collaborations, PWA Academy is guiding, mentoring, and inspiring young talents at the very source - the classroom, the campus, the entry-level office.

More importantly, it’s not just training for the sake of it. PWA Academy is building real pipelines into industry. It is bridging the often-wide gap between academic education and the skillsets demanded by today’s creative, digital, and content economy.

Young Ghanaians entering the Academy aren’t just learning how to work - they’re learning how to compete and thrive in regional and global markets, equipped with exposure to international standards, platforms, and networks.

And this is the key distinction: PWA Academy isn’t an intervention. It’s an investment.

An investment in people. In capacity. In confidence. In future leadership. It's the kind of deliberate effort that not only benefits Publicis as a business but contributes to the larger development agenda of the continent - where youth are not an afterthought to integration, but its central driving force.

A scalable model for regional impact

What makes this model especially powerful is its replicability. With the right partnerships and policy support, similar academies can emerge across Africa, backed by the private sector, aligned with academic institutions, and integrated with national and regional development goals.

PWA Academy's approach reminds us that talent development is not something to be outsourced to NGOs or left to chance. It is a strategic function. A continental imperative. And a competitive advantage waiting to be fully unlocked.

If Africa is to lead in the digital and creative economy, it will not be because of how well it trades, but how well it trains and retains its talent.

Talent is the strategy: How PWA Academy is powering both Africa’s youth and Publicis West Africa’s growth

In the race to integrate Africa’s economies and unlock the continent’s potential as the next global growth frontier, talent remains the single most decisive variable.
And increasingly, the organisations that recognize this not just as a social good, but as a business strategy are the ones positioned to lead.

PWA Academy, the talent development arm of Publicis West Africa, offers a compelling case in point.

As a creative and digital communications group operating across borders, Publicis West Africa understands firsthand that its growth isn’t limited by market demand it’s constrained by the availability of ready, skilled, and culturally attuned talent.

So rather than wait for talent to emerge, the company decided to build it.

A strategic bet on people

Through structured internship pathways, national service training programmes, and university outreach collaborations, PWA Academy is actively preparing Ghanaian youth not just for jobs, but for high-impact roles in one of Africa’s fastest-growing industries.

This initiative is more than CSR. It’s a strategic talent engine.

Every intern onboarded, every student mentored, and every campus collaboration isn’t just uplifting individuals, it’s expanding Publicis West Africa’s talent pipeline, reducing onboarding friction, improving retention, and accelerating project readiness.

As the organisation scales its operations across the region, this growing pool of internally trained, culturally fluent, and globally minded professionals is helping fuel faster execution, stronger creative output, and deeper client trust.

In short, PWA Academy is helping the business scale at the speed of its ambition.

Building talent for a borderless market

What’s particularly relevant about this model is how aligned it is with the future Africa is building: one where talent moves across borders, where campaigns are pan-African from day one, and where digital fluency and cultural intelligence are baseline expectations.

By preparing youth not just for the Ghanaian job market but for regional and international placements, PWA Academy is creating a competitive advantage for Publicis West Africa in a space where local insight and global standards must meet.

This proactive approach also means the company is not just reacting to the talent crisis, it is shaping the next generation of talent to meet its evolving needs.