A new initiative called AfricaWorking to aims to impart job skills and entrepreneurship skills to 250,000 young people in Africa has been launched in Kenya. The founding members of the initiative are Barclays Africa, A new initiative to aims to impart job skills and entrepreneurship skills to 250,000 young people in Africa has been launched in Kenya. The founding members of the initiative are Barclays Africa, Emerging World, FranklinCovey, Knod, Microsoft, Safal Group and Syngenta.
The initiative will begin in Kenya and South Africa and aims to have an Africa-wide footprint by the year 2020. The plan is to reach 200,000 who want to enter the job market and 50,000 entrepreneurs.
The different founding members have their own youth initiatives and it seems that they want to come together so as to align their efforts and share resources as well. Microsoft for instance has the well known 4Afrika program and Barclays has its Ready to Work program.
The initiative will use YouthWorks, a Microsoft entrepreneurship platform linking youth to career guidance, internships and entry-level job opportunities, and an employability platform powered by Knod.
The membership of the initiative is open to companies that are based in or has a major business interest in Africa.