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Scaling Youth Entrepreneurship in Africa: A Multi-Stakeholder Approach for Developing Local Ecosystems
Across Africa, governments and development actors are investing in youth entrepreneurship, with funders and international NGOs increasingly partnering with local non-profits to develop better support ecosystems for young entrepreneurs. But as Grégory Valadié and Juan Carlos Thomas at TechnoServe explain, many of these local organizations face limitations in capacity, systems and tools. They explore four ways to maximize these partnerships’ impact by complementing their direct implementation work with systems-level solutions, and leveraging institutions that already reach young people at scale.
- Categories
- Education
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Rethinking Education to Re-Engage Youth: Why It’s Time to Focus on Practical Skill Building
In 2023, 20% of youth globally were not involved in employment, education or training — and there is a concerning skills gap, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Meanwhile, the supply of educated youth is exceeding the supply of skilled jobs in many LMICs, forcing young workers to seek lower-paying jobs unrelated to their education and skills. Jessica Crist at SDG Academy explores these challenges, and explains why they're driving the need for a new approach to higher education, focused on practical skill-building and non-traditional formats like online courses, short-term programs and professional training.
- Categories
- Education, Technology
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The Transformative Impact of Remote Work: How Online Jobs are Empowering Workers in Emerging Markets
The COVID-19 pandemic caused the largest shakeup in workforce culture since the emergence of the internet, with companies and workers embracing remote and hybrid approaches. According to Namya Sethi at Girl Power Talk, this shift continues to affect many professions years later, and these changes are having an especially pronounced effect in emerging economies. She explores how remote work is connecting global employers to local talent in emerging markets, and discusses the impacts this is having on workers, companies and business ecosystems.
- Categories
- Education, Technology
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Impact Investing in Turbulent Times: Opportunity Amid Uncertainty
Impact investing, much like the world around us, is facing a period of prolonged turbulence, as the interconnected shocks of 2024 — from the escalating climate crisis to rising geopolitical tension — raise doubts about whether the sector can grow fast enough to make a difference. But as Florian Kemmerich at KOIS argues, the need to solve these crises may ultimately become the impetus for true scale in the industry. He explores how innovative investments can address some key global crises, and shares reasons for optimism amid the uncertainty.
- Categories
- Education, Environment, Health Care, Investing
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Rethinking our Approach to Multilateral Collaboration: Why it’s Time to Give the Philanthropic and Private Sectors an Equal Seat at the Table
With only 17% of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on track, doubts are growing about the effectiveness of the world's current approach to multilateral collaboration. As Simon Sommer at the Jacobs Foundation and Dina Ghobashy at Microsoft argue, part of the problem is that businesses and philanthropic organizations are rarely viewed — or treated — as equal partners of international institutions and national governments in pursuing development goals. They propose a new approach to multilateralism, based on greater cohesion between the public, private and non-profit sectors.
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The Problem with ‘Forced Entrepreneurship’: How Universities — and Venture Capitalists — are Failing Climate Tech Innovators
Universities are increasingly positioning themselves as hubs of business innovation, and as Emre Eren Korkmaz at the University of Oxford explains, their support has become an important driver of climate tech innovation. But he argues that universities’ "one size fits all" approach to supporting these innovators is fundamentally flawed, prioritizing the pathway to entrepreneurship — and the demands of venture capitalists — rather than empowering true innovation. He explores the problem and highlights some alternative approaches.
- Categories
- Education, Environment, Investing, Social Enterprise, Technology
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How Young People are Driving Africa’s Digital Future: A Recent Report Highlights the Impacts of Technology — And the Need for Greater Support
With over 400 million people between the ages of 15 and 35, Africa has the world’s youngest population — and by 2050, this youth population is projected to increase by 73%. As Grace Natabaalo and Chelsea Horváth at Caribou Digital explain, young Africans are leveraging digital platforms to find work, education and more — but they face numerous challenges in accessing and using technology. They share highlights from a new report based on discussions with 20 young people from seven countries across Africa, which show the impact of digital technology — and how this impact could be amplified.
- Categories
- Education, Technology
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Solving the Educational Disparity in India: A Scalable Solution Leverages AI and Behavior Change to Reach Underserved Communities
Around 37 million Indian children lack access to any form of early education service. Vishal Sunil and Sushmita Roy at Rocket Learning discuss how their organization is addressing this issue through its learning platform, which leverages AI technology and WhatsApp to provide free educational tools to children and parents, while offering training and other resources to the daycare workers who play a key role in the country’s early childhood development landscape.
- Categories
- Education, Technology
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