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African Development Bank/Entreprenarium Foundation 2018/2019 Masterclass for women entrepreneurs in Africa.

by OFA
written by OFA

Application Deadline: December 4th 2018

As part of its Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) program, the African Development Bank is partnering with Entreprenarium Foundation to train 1,000 women entrepreneurs in Africa.

Over the next four months, Entreprenarium will roll out training sessions on business development and financial management in five countries, beginning with Cote d’Ivoire (Abidjan) and Gabon (Libreville) on 10 December; followed by sessions in Kenya (Nairobi), South Africa (Johannesburg) and Tunisia (Tunis). The most promising projects will have the opportunity to receive funding.

Alongside the training, The Bank and AFAWA will strengthen policy dialogue on the legal, policy and regulatory reforms necessary to promote women’s entrepreneurship and economic empowerment.

“This initiative truly represents AFAWA’s holistic approach to support women’s entrepreneurship…We are not only providing businesswomen the critical knowledge and skills they need to boost their businesses, but also facilitating their access to financing, while establishing dialogue with governments to create business environments that unleash their entrepreneurial capacity,” said Vanessa Moungar, Director of the Bank’s Gender, Women and Civil Society Department.

The African continent hosts the highest percentage of women entrepreneurs in the world. According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2016/17 Women’s Report, female entrepreneurship rate in sub-Saharan Africa reaches 25.9 percent of the female adult population.

Women typically reinvest up to 90 percent of their income in the education, health and nutrition of their family and community – compared to 30 to 40 percent from men, demonstrating greater development impact.

Despite this dynamic entrepreneurial attitude and the key role that women entrepreneurs play in Africa’s economic development, they face a number of challenges and often lack necessary business and financial skills that will enable them to access funding based on the maturity of their businesses.

While the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector in Africa is the cornerstone of inclusive development, women have a harder time in gaining access to financing with an estimated US$42 billion financing gap for entrepreneurship across business value chains, including US$15.6 billion in agriculture alone.

Apply:

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the ADB/Entreprenarium Foundation 2018/2019 Masterclass

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Blog

African Development Bank Launches Coding for Employment Program: Unleashing Africa’s Next Generation of Digital Innovators

by OFA
written by OFA

The African Development Bank, together with partners – The Rockefeller Foundation, Microsoft and Facebook – launched the Coding for Employment Program at the African Innovation Summit in Kigali, Rwanda. By training youth in demand-driven Information and Communications Technology (ICT) curriculum and matching graduates directly with ICT employers, this new Program prepares Africa’s youth for tomorrow’s jobs and unleashes the next generation of young digital innovators from the continent. Coding for Employment will create over 9 million jobs and reach 32 million youth and women across Africa.

The Coding for Employment Program is at the center of the African Development Bank’s Jobs for Youth in Africa Initiative, which aims to put Africa’s youth on a path to prosperity. By 2025, the Jobs for Youth in Africa Initiative will equip 50 million youth with employable skills and create 25 million jobs in agriculture, information communications and technology and other key industries across Africa.

Over the last 15 years, the African Development Bank has invested US $1.64 billion in programs to prepare youth for careers in science, technology and innovation. Putting youth at the center of Africa’s inclusive economic growth agenda is at the forefront of the African Development Bank’s investments and its “High 5s” priorities —building businesses, feeding the continent, expanding power and integration, and improving the quality of life for the people across the continent by preparing youth for today’s competitive digital world.

As the world moves towards a fourth industrial revolution, the demand for digitization across health, education, and other sectors is on the rise. Digital innovations have the power to solve the continent’s development challenges and are generating new job opportunities. The youth population is rapidly growing and by 2050, is expected to double to over 830 million. Yet, the digital divide in Africa persists and critical skills gaps pose serious challenges to youth securing quality and decent work in a rapidly changing workforce.

“Coding for Employment accelerates investments in Africa’s most valuable resource – its young women and men. That’s why The Rockefeller Foundation is thrilled to join forces with the African Development Bank to help every young African reach their full potential. Our partnership with the African Development Bank will establish 130 Centers of Excellence across Africa to help bridge the gap between the digital hiring news of employers and the skills of Africa’s youth,” affirmed Mamadou Biteye, OBE, The Rockefeller Foundation’s Managing Director for Africa.

According to Ghada Khalifa, Director of Microsoft Philanthropies for the Middle East and Africa, “Digital skills are fast becoming essential for the jobs of today and tomorrow. Unfortunately, these skills are beyond the reach of too many young people in Africa. Together with our partners like the African Development Bank, we are working to change that. The partnership between Microsoft and the African Development Bank will continue to focus on increasing the participation of underserved youth and women while equipping youth across Africa with the skills needed to fill jobs now and in the future,” she said.

“We are excited to partner with the African Development Bank on the launch of the coding for employment program in Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda and Senegal. Coding for Employment ensures digital skills are accessible to young people and supports youth with securing meaningful opportunities where they can apply their talents, ideas and expertise to advance the continent’s economic and social development,” said Sherry Dzinoreva, Head of Policy Programs at Facebook.

“By working together with the private sector, donors, policy-makers, and other stakeholders, we can secure a brighter future for young African women and men. As part of this new Program, we seek to cultivate the next generation of innovators and to empower young women to lead the continent’s digital revolution. Investments in youth through programs like Coding for Employment can stimulate inclusive economic growth, put Africa and its youth on the cutting edge of technological innovations and ensure the digital transformation of Africa is led and managed by young Africans for the benefit of the people of Africa,” said Oley Dibba-Wadda, Director of Human Capital, Youth and Skills Development at the African Development Bank.

Contacts: Olivia Ndong Obiang

Source: AfDB

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Bloomberg Africa Media Initiative
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Micheal Bloomberg Launches Bloomberg Media Initiative for Africa

by lanredahunsi
written by lanredahunsi

 

Press Release -Johannesburg, South Africa.

Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg L.P., philanthropist and 108th Mayor of New York City, on february  3rd 2014 announced the launch of the Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa,

a three-year pan-African program to build media capacity, convene international leaders and improve access to information in order to advance transparency, accountability and governance on the continent. The initial focus of the $10 million commitment will be on Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.

Timely and accurate reporting of business and financial matters play a critical role in advancing efficient markets and is a key driver in supporting economic and social growth. Strengthening business and economic news coverage, expanding training programs for journalists and providing greater access to reliable data about Africa are frequently cited as important enablers to the continent’s continued development.

The Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa will provide cross disciplinary education programs and mid-career fellowships to increase the number of highly-trained business and financial journalists, convene pan-African forums to examine worldwide media best practices and support research to stimulate media innovations.

“Reliable data and financial analysis bring transparency to markets and promote sound economic development – and they can help keep Africa growing and creating opportunity,” said Michael R. Bloomberg.

“The Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa will foster collaboration, support professional growth and nurture the leaders who are contributing to the continent’s very bright future.”

Bloomberg will partner with preeminent faculty from the University of Nairobi’s School of Journalism and Mass Communications and Strathmore Business School in Kenya; the University of Lagos’s Department of Mass Communications and the Pan Atlantic University’s Lagos Business School in Nigeria; and the Rhodes University’s School of Journalism and Media Studies and the University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science in South Africa to develop and deliver educational programs focused on business, economics, public policy, finance and journalism to enhance the skills and knowledge of media professionals.

“The Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa is not only topical, timely, relevant and useful, but it is also contemporary both in structural and conceptual pluralism,”

said Dr. Ralph A. Akinfeleye, Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Lagos in Nigeria. “By providing rigorous training from best-in-class faculty, media professionals and other stakeholders from the South, East and West African countries, the initiative will positively impact transparency, accountability, good governance and sustainable economic growth on the continent.”

Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa will also provide scholarships to the next generation of media professionals and experiential training opportunities to graduate students.

Linus Gitahi, CEO of the Nation Media Group in Kenya, said,

“More and well-trained journalists serve the public interest by enabling the media to provide fuller coverage of key development issues. We applaud Bloomberg for making this welcome investment in the education and training of African journalists.”

In collaboration with partners including the Ford Foundation, Bloomberg will host annual forums for African leaders and international experts to examine emerging trends and discuss media best practices. There will be a fellowship program to reward and enhance excellence in media.

“This effort to deepen the coverage of complex issues holds the promise of advancing good governance and transparency, strengthening civil society organizations and providing the citizens of South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria with crucial information to bolster their democracies,” said Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation.

“We have collaborated with Bloomberg on many important initiatives in the United States, such as urban development and the transformative power of arts and culture with impressive outcomes. The ability to bring about substantive change puts Michael Bloomberg in a distinct class embodying the best of philanthropy.”

Bloomberg also plans to collaborate with the Ibrahim Foundation and ONE, as well as international institutions such as United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB), on a feasibility study to explore a platform for accessible, comprehensive, accurate and up-to-date economic data and information to promote African development.

Source: Bloomberg Press Release

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l'universite-panafricaine
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AfDB Approves US$45 Million Grant for Creation of Pan African University for Science, Technology and Innovation

by lanredahunsi
written by lanredahunsi

The African Development Bank’s (AfDB) Board of Executive Directors approved on Wednesday, July 24 an African Development Fund (ADF) grant of US$ 45 million to support the creation of a Pan African University (PAU). The new university consisting of five Pan African Institutes will focus mainly on science, technology and innovation.

The new universitywould bea groundbreaking step in strengthening higher education and building human capital in Africa. Africa has been slow to develop its science and technology sectors and commercialize its innovations. Currently the best African university ranks just 113th globally. Of the 400 top universities worldwide, only fourare in Africa, all of which are in the Republic of South Africa.Also, while Africa accounts for 13.4 per centof the world’s people, it produces only 1.1 per centof world scientific knowledge

The Pan African University will establish an academic network of already existing post-graduate and research institutionsintended to serve all African countries. Consisting of five thematic institutes based in East, West, Central, North and Southern Africa the PAU will deliver programs in:

  1. Basic sciences, technology and innovation (East Africa)
  2. Earth and life sciences including health and agriculture (West Africa)
  3. Governance, humanities and social sciences (Central Africa)
  4. Water and energy sciences including climate change (North Africa)
  5. Space sciences (Southern Africa)

“Thousands of students all over Africa will benefit from this project. This is truly an amazing regional effort to help African universities achieve world-class status. It will increase the pool of African scientists and researchers not only to serve the needs of the continent but to help youth become competitive in international labour markets,” said Agnes Soucat, Director of the Human Development Department, AfDB.

The project will contribute to the skills needed by African countries to add value to their natural resources and enhance competitivenessand youth employment contributing to the AfDB’s overall objectives of inclusive and green growth.

The PAU is also major step towards establishing the African Higher Education and Research Space by contributing to:

(i) Efficient regional higher education governance system;

(ii) Improved quality of higher education at the regional level creating strong links with the labour market;

(iii) equitable access to quality higher education in science, technology and engineering fields; and (iv) increased number of institutions achieving world-class status.

pan-afriican-university

This project will also help set up the governance structure of the PAU at central and country levels as well as academic and research capacity. The first three threePAU thematic institutes will be based in Kenya, Nigeria and Cameroon:

  1. PAU Institute for Basic Sciences, Technology and Innovation (Kenya)
  2. PAU Institute for Life and Earth Sciences (Nigeria)
  3. PAU Institute for Governance, Humanities and Social Sciences (Cameroon).

This important operation is a response to a request from the African Union for technical assistance and financial resources for the design and operation of a network of hubs of excellence in higher education to help meet the need for education, training and research in five key areas of African development.

Background 

Africa has only 35 scientists and engineers per million inhabitants, compared with 168 for Brazil, 2,457 for Europe and 4,103 for the United States. Shortage of skills has been a major constraint to Africa’s progress in science, technology and innovation. Due to low investment in research and development, Africa ranks low in global competitiveness and productivity. African students tend to opt for economics, business, law and social sciences rather than science, engineering and technology, hampering the continent’s competitiveness and growth. The result is a mismatch between skills produced and private sector jobs.

This project is in line with the Bank’s newly approved Ten Year Strategy for 2013-2022 and responds to the Regional Integrationand Skills and Technology Core Operational Priorities of the Bank’s 2013-2022 Strategy. It also addresses the strategy’s areas of special emphasis such as Gender and Food Security. It is also fully in line with the Bank’s draft Human Capital Strategy and New Education Model in Africa (NEMA).

Source: African Development Bank

 

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