The Young Africa Connects is a Facebook Live series supported by the Master Card Foundation. It aims to inspire, engage, and uplift young people while amplifying the incredible work being done across the continent.
This report focuses on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and presents findings drawn from the narratives of over 150 young female STEM professionals in seven countries. The report showcases how confidence in their own abilities helps women deal with setbacks. At the same time, the report highlights the critical role that support from parents, mentors, and partners play in women’s success in STEM.
The study recommends four pathways for the private sector and development actors to serve and support youth: 1) Design for the full range of youth personas and pathways; 2) Customize value chain approaches to address key youth constraints; 3) Use digital solutions to reach youth affordability and at scale, with high potential for impact; 4) Capture opportunities beyond production as enablers.
This report captures the experience of young people in the agrifood system — both those who innovate (innovators) and those they design solutions for (adopters). Instead of looking separately at these groups, the research sees innovators and adopters as part of a larger interconnected landscape, supported by those who contribute to building the enabling environments that help get technologies to communities (promoters).
The report explores the gender-related barriers faced by young women and young men, reviews the many approaches that programs take in Africa to confront these barriers, and tries to establish whether and how these approaches have been successful.
Digital Commerce and Youth Employment in Africa details the uncertainties shaping the future of digital commerce and ‘future-proof’ choices policymakers can make to guide the positive impact of digital commerce on employment.
