The Jobtech Alliance, headed by Mercy Corps and BFA Global, has announced its second cohort of platforms joining its ecosystem. The addition of these eight platforms will strengthen the Alliance’s portfolio, which includes 17 jobtech platforms operating in seven African countries.
These platforms create jobs for youth, improve employment quality for workers, and uplift underserved individuals, including women and refugees. The added platforms are Mwingi and Gwiji from Kenya, Selar and Instollar from Nigeria, Goodayon and Afriwork from Ethiopia, CatalyzU from South Africa and Opareta from Uganda.
Each platform will receive investment capital, venture-building support, advisory services from experts, and opportunities to scale their platforms through the Alliance’s growing cross-sector partnerships. This initiative is part of Jobtech Alliance’s broader effort, which engages hundreds of jobtech platforms across Africa and stakeholders, including investors and policymakers, in learning and community-building activities.
As Africa faces significant challenges such as high unemployment and a burgeoning youth population, the Jobtech Alliance is catalyzing a transformation in the future of work. This is by cultivating an ecosystem of innovative digital platforms that connect people to quality job opportunities.
Michelle Hassan, Co-director at Jobtech Alliance, said this about the newly added platforms, “We’re thrilled to double down on our efforts with another cohort of jobtech innovators improving access to decent employment across Africa,” said “By building an enabling ecosystem, we can improve livelihoods across the continent. Since starting venture support, we’ve learned a lot about the jobtech ecosystem and the sorts of platforms that can create meaningful jobs at scale in Africa.”
Mwingi [Kenya]: A tech-enabled trading network revolutionizing the supply of essential goods to remote, rural areas of Africa through franchised retail outlets.
Gwiji [Kenya]: A mobile platform that connects underprivileged women with urban households in need of cleaning services.
Selar [Nigeria]: An e-commerce tool enabling African creatives and entrepreneurs to sell digital content, products, and services across borders.
Opareta [Uganda]: A platform that digitizes mobile money agent businesses, supporting activities like float management, performance analytics and channel oversight.
Instollar [Nigeria]: A green energy marketplace that uses location and skill algorithms to connect renewable energy companies with freelance green-collar workers across Africa.
CatalyzU [South Africa]: An end-to-end solution that vets, trains (Startup Operator School, Experiential Fellowships, Micro MBA diplomas) and places non-technical talent at global startups and VC funds via a matchmaking talent marketplace.
Goodayon [Ethiopia]: A location-based gig platform that connects customers with reliable domestic help, home repair, and maintenance services.
Afriwork [Ethiopia]: A job-matching platform leveraging Telegram to offer fully automated and self-catered recruitment services to SMEs and beyond.