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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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Contests

AECOM Urban SOS Student Design competition Competition 2016 (USD $15,000 Prize)

by OFA
written by OFA

Submission Deadline: September 12th 2016

Fair Share is the seventh student design competition in AECOM’s Urban SOS program. Urban SOS was created to engage students in urban planning and design, architecture, landscape architecture, economics, environmental studies, and engineering with the issues confronting modern cities and allowing them to propose
solutions that, if worthy, will be seen by established professionals in their field.

Presented by AECOM and Van Alen Institute, in partnership with 100 Resilient Cities — Pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation.

The so-called “sharing economy” has changed the way we live, work, get around, take care of daily tasks and interact with each other. But even bigger transformations are possible. It’s time to imagine a new generation of digital innovations combined with physical design strategies to tackle some of the toughest challenges facing cities today.

Fair Share: the 2016 Urban SOS competition, calls on multidisciplinary teams of
students to come together and apply the tools and technologies of the sharing economy to support more equitable access to resources, improve the built environment and enrich the quality of life of urban residents.

ELIGIBILITY

  • The competition is open to undergraduate and graduate students at all levels of higher education around the world.
  • You must be enrolled in a certified program during the 2016 academic year at Bachelors, Masters or Ph.D. levels.
  • To participate, you must be part of a multidisciplinary team of up to four members; individuals may not participate alone.
  • Your team must include students from two disciplines at a minimum; for example, your team may include members from design, engineering, business, technology, public health, policy studies, economics, sociology, international development, social
    entrepreneurship or any other relevant fields.
  • You can choose to locate your proposal in any of the cities identified within the 100 Resilient Cities network.
  • A complete list of the current cities participating in the 100 Resilient Cities Challenge can be found here (http://www.100resilientcities.org/cities).

How the Competition Works?

  • You and your team will identify a problem or need at a specific site in a specific city around the world, and a population that current infrastructure struggles to address.
  • Then send us your proposal for how design and technology can create a sharing system with both digital and physical components that addresses this need. Your final proposal has to be more than an app or other digital device — it must also make a physical intervention in the city.
  • We’ll select up to fifteen semifinalist proposals from around the world to be reviewed by our juries of experts in Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York and Sydney. Juries will select a series of finalists who will advance to the final round in Los Angeles, where students from the top teams will present their proposals.

Prizes:

  • The winning team will receive US $7,500 and up to US $25,000 of in-kind support
    from AECOM to bring their project to life in the real world.
  • Second and third place eams will receive US $5,000 and US $2,500 respectively.

Application Procedure:

  • Entry fee : There is no entry fee for entering Fair Share.
  • Number of entries : Individuals may participate on only one team. Each team is
    permitted to enter only one submission.
  • Pre-registration : It is  strongly recommended that you pre-register your interest in the competition at aecom.com/urbansos. If you don’t pre-register, you can still enter, but timely pre-registration ensures that you receive all competition updates, including more background information about the sharing economy and relevant.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the AECOM Urban SOS Student Design competition Competition 2016 

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KenyaScholarships

2016/2017 Wangari Maathai Scholarships Fund for Young Kenyans

by OFA
written by OFA

Application Deadline: 28th March 2016 5.00pm.

The Wangari Maathai Scholarship Fund is an environmental innovations fund set up in memory of Professor Wangari Maathai that aims at developing actionoriented young people with strong values and commitment to the conservation of the physical and social environment in Kenya. The fund has been established by The Rockefeller Foundation, The Green Belt Movement and Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF).

This is the fourth public call for scholarship applications to the fund. A scholarship award from the fund is given each year to a young woman who has demonstrated passion and personal commitment to environmental conservation. This individual must also demonstrate their ability to successfully mobilize people and provide leadership in environmental advocacy.

Selection Criteria:

  • A young woman of between the ages of 18 – 25 years.
  • Kenyan citizens currently residing in Kenya
  • The scholarship is limited to applicants who have enrolled in a Kenyan University
  • Ability to demonstrate the environmental conservation project(s) they have started or have been involved in and how those initiatives have impacted people in their community, in ways that have improved environmental health and sustainability, and the fund’s goals of achieving a greener, cleaner and a more sustainable community.

How to Apply:

  • Detailed application guidelines and application forms can be downloaded from the following website: www.kcdf.or.ke.
  • Applications NOT submitted in this form will be disqualified.
  • COMPLETED APPLICATION FORMS can be submitted to KCDF by email to [email protected]. to be received on or before 5.00pm, 28th March 2016.
  • Any other supportive documents should be scanned and sent as attachments with the filled in proposal.
  • Please state on the email subject line: CfA No. WMSF/R4/2016.
  • Applications delivered outside the deadline shall be automatically disqualified. Applicants must counter check with the checklist to ensure that all the required attachments are included. Incomplete applications will NOT be considered.

Timeline:

  • Dissemination : 29th to 11th March 2016
  • Deadline for Submission of Proposals : 28th March, 2016
  • Screening & Review: 8th April , 2016
  • Notification of Awards & Agreements Signing: 22nd April, 2016
  • Disbursement of Grant: 6th May 2016

Download the Application Form

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Wangari Maathai Scholarships Fund

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The 2014 Wangari Maathai Scholarship Fund
KenyaScholarships

2014 Wangari Maathai Scholarship Fund for Kenyans.

by lanredahunsi
written by lanredahunsi

Application Deadline:  31st August 2013.

The Wangari Maathai Scholarship Fund is an environmental innovations fund set up in memory of Prof. Wangari Maathai that is aimed at developing action-oriented young people with strong values and commitment to the conservation of the physical and social environment in Kenya.

This is the 2nd public call for scholarship applications to the fund.
A scholarship award from the fund is given each year to a young woman who has demonstrated passion and personal commitment to environmental conservation.
This individual must also demonstrate their ability to successfully mobilize people and provide leadership in environmental advocacy.
Selection Criteria:
  • A young woman of between the ages of 18 – 25 years.
  • Kenyan citizens currently residing in Kenya
  • The scholarship is limited to applicants who have enrolled in a Kenyan tertiary institution
  • Ability to demonstrate the environmental conservation project(s) they have started or have been involved in and how those initiatives have impacted people in their community, in ways that have improved environmental health and sustainability, and the fund’s goals of achieving a greener, cleaner and a more sustainable community.
How to Apply
Detailed application guidelines and application forms can be downloaded from the following websites:
Completed APPLICATION FORMS can be submitted by email to [email protected]. Printed copies may be submitted to KCDF Offices on 4th Floor, MorningSide Officer Park, Adams Arcade, Ngong Road, to be received on or before 5.00pm, 31st August 2013.
Applicants must cross check with the checklist that all the required attachments are included; otherwise incomplete applications will NOT be considered.
For more on the fund, kindly contact:
The Coordinator
The Wangari Maathai Scholarships Fund
KCDF
P.O Box 10501-00100
Nairobi, Kenya
Email: [email protected]
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Impact Economy Innovations Grant Fund
Call for Applications

The Africa Impact Economy Innovations Fund ( US$100,000 for Social Enterprises).

by lanredahunsi
written by lanredahunsi

Application Deadline: June 30, 2013

The Rockefeller Foundation and The Tony Elumelu Foundation invite proposals from organizations interested in receiving support for initiatives aimed at fostering Africa’s Impact Economy, specifically by aiding the growth of the Impact Investing industry and social enterprise sector.

Grant Areas: The Africa Impact Economy Innovations Fund (IEIF) will fund projects that seek to:

• enable earlier stage capital solutions
• foster entrepreneurial ecosystems
• promote and establish impact investing industry infrastructure
• develop market ecosystems for specific sectors
• form leadership and networking platforms for common actions

Priority will be given to projects with specific geographic focus. Funding priorities of the IEIF are influenced by the directions set at the Impact Investing forum (IIF), held on April 5, 2013 and co-hosted by The Rockefeller Foundation, The Tony Elumelu Foundation, and The Bertha Center for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Amount: The IEIF will support approximately 7-8 proposals; interested organizations may apply to the fund for grants for up to 12 months with a maximum request of US$100,000, and may participate in more than one grant proposal.

Application Deadline: 30th June

Application Documents:

• Introduction and Guidelines
• Executive Summary
• Proposal

Please limit the proposal to 5-8 pages.

To Apply:

The IEIF will be managed by The Global Impact Investing Network in close collaboration with The Rockefeller Foundation and The Tony Elumelu Foundation. Interested organizations can apply by sending the completed forms and other required documentation to [email protected].

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FellowshipsScholarships

Call for Applications : The Wangari Maathai Scholarship Fund for Kenyans.

by lanredahunsi
written by lanredahunsi

The Wangari Maathai Scholarship Fund

The Wangari Maathai Scholarship Fund is an environmental innovations fund set up in memory of Prof. Wangari Maathai that is aimed at developing action-oriented young people with strong values and commitment to the conservation of the physical and social environment in Kenya. The fund has been established by The Rockefeller Foundation, The Green Belt Movement and Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF).

The scholarship fund will be awarded annually, with the first cycle being granted during the 2013 academic year. In this first year, the tertiary education scholarship will be awarded to a young woman aged 18 to 25 years, who has demonstrated passion and personal commitment to environmental conservation. This individual must have also demonstrated their ability to successfully mobilize people and provide leadership in environmental advocacy.

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