Future of Work Africa 2021
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Village Capital, with the support of IFC, is launching Future of Work Africa 2021 – an accelerator supporting and scaling startups across Sub-Saharan Africa that help young people find jobs, build careers, and prepare for the future of work.
Africa’s workforce is projected to be the largest in the world in the coming decades, with hundreds of millions of people below the age of 25 starting to look for work. But there are simply not enough quality jobs for this young and growing population. Nearly half of young people on the continent are unemployed, and in some countries, more than four out of five work in the informal sector, with fluctuating incomes and few if any benefits. While agriculture has long been the continent’s top sector, more and more of Africa’s population is moving to urban areas, where jobs in the formal sector are in short supply.
Our accelerator will support entrepreneurs building for-profit, market-based solutions across the education, employment, and benefits spectrum that can help young people in Sub-Saharan Africa better prepare for and manage the future of work.
Advisory Board
Douglas Rowlings
Senior Vice President, Head of Africa Relationship Management, Moody's
Leah Anyanwu
Head of Africa Partnerships, Kizazi
Audrey Cheng
CEO and Founder, Moringa School
Krista Davidson
Head of Programmes & Operations, Injini
Adam Grunewald
Founder and CEO, Lynk
Aashti Zaidi Hai
Executive Director, Global Schools Forum
Maryana Iskander
Chief Executive Officer, Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator
Chris Maclay
Director of Youth Employment, Mercy Corps
Teresa Mbagaya
Principal, Imaginable Futures
Ona Meyer
Program Officer: Jobs & Livelihoods, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation
Julia Moffett
Founder and CEO, Future of Learning Fund
Abdul Mohamed
Portfolio Manager, Acumen Fund
Josephine Ndao
Chief Entrepreneurship and SME Development Officer, African Development Bank
Emeka Onyia
Senior Manager Innovation and Product Development, Afreximbank
Jennifer Cotter Otieno
Chief Executive Officer, Education Design Unlimited
Anne Partridge
COO, Optimizer Foundation
COHORT COMPANIES
Eligibility
Ventures must address youth unemployment through the following:
• Innovations like upskilling/reskilling programs
• Credentialing programs
• New approaches to apprenticeship or employment matching,
• Financial health for informal workers, and/or
• Edtech
THE WORKSHOPS
Our accelerator will support entrepreneurs of early-stage ventures building for-profit, market-based solutions across the education, employment, and benefits spectrum that can help young people in Sub-Saharan Africa better prepare for and manage the future of work. Participants can expect our renowned investment readiness curriculum, engagement with mentors and investors, and peer collaboration.
Cohort 1
Sprint Week: May 18-21
Work Week 1: June 15-17
Work Week 2: July 20-22
Closing Week: Aug 17-20
Cohort 2
Sprint Week: May 25-28
Work Week 1: June 22-24
Work Week 2: July 27-29
Closing Week: August 24-27