GDI Africa

Happy Jamhuri Day!! Your resilience, diversity, and boundless potential continue to inspire us everyday!! Celebrating 61 years of freedom, progress, and national pride! #ProudlyKenyan #IndependenceDay

The Global Opportunity Youth Network (GOYN), a multi-stakeholder initiative hosted at The Aspen Institute and managed in partnership with GDI, has wrapped up an incredible week hosting its 5th Annual Global Convening in hashtag #Pune! Our GDI team facilitated engaging sessions alongside 300+ youth leaders and partners from over 15 communities across Africa, India, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Beyond the invaluable knowledge exchange, we witnessed the power of authentic connections through: 🇮🇳 Cultural immersion in Indian hospitality 📣 Youth-led discussions sharing lived experiences 🤝 Community marketplace showcasing local entrepreneurship This year’s Convening centered around the theme Transforming Youth Livelihoods: Pathways to Full Potential. GOYN’s mission is to create sustainable economic opportunities for youth and guide them on their journey toward personal success, well-being, and financial sustainability. GOYN aims to address systemic barriers like inequality and discrimination, fostering equitable outcomes for Opportunity Youth. GOYN’s Annual Convening is an important opportunity to forge stronger connections across the network, deepen learning, and showcase how GOYN is shifting mindsets, policies, and practices to build inclusive ecosystems that drive real change for young people.

Joyce Arita of citiesRise with fellow panelists a the 2024 #ShamiriSummit themed Hope in Action: Resilient Communities and Mental Health. #BuildingResilience #MentalHealthMatters Learn more about citiesRise and their work at https://lnkd.in/dY2C4JcN.

This week, the Global Opportunity Youth Network (GOYN), a multi-stakeholder initiative hosted at The Aspen Institute and managed in partnership with GDI, is hosting its 5th Annual Global Convening in Pune, Maharashtra, India from November 17th to 21st, 2024. This year’s Convening centers around the theme Transforming Youth Livelihoods: Pathways to Full Potential. GOYN’s mission is to create sustainable economic opportunities for youth and guide them on their journey toward personal success, well-being, and financial sustainability. GOYN’s Annual Convening is an important moment to forge stronger connections across the network, deepen learning, and showcase how GOYN is shifting mindsets, policies, and practices to build inclusive ecosystems that drive real change for young people. The Convening will include key moments for virtual participation. Register here to enjoy conversations with GOYN partners, young leaders, and global allies on the power of place-based collaboration to accelerate opportunities for Opportunity Youth: https://lnkd.in/emcMSScA

This week, GDI Africa CEO Alice Gugelev and her team met with the Principal Principal secretary, Labour and Skills Development - Hon. Shadrack Mwadime. Discussions focused on GDI Africa's ongoing work and impact and also exploring ways we can support the Skills Development department's efforts to bridge the gap between education and industry needs, while creating more opportunities for youth employment and entrepreneurship. At GDI Africa we are passionate about we are passionate about transforming ideas into impactful realities. #socialimpact

GDI Africa is #hiring! Based in #Nairobi, the Deputy Chief Financial Officer will play a pivotal role in supporting the CFO and CEO to ensure efficient and effective #financial management, strategy, and organizational risk and compliance. The Deputy CFO will oversee financial planning, compliance with international and national government requirements, and donor management. This position is ideal for a seasoned finance professional with extensive experience in investment financing, venture capital, and managing multi-donor funded projects. Apply by November 15th: https://lnkd.in/e9pJyAXs #socialimpactjobs

Is there a silver bullet for Africa's youth job crisis? Well, there's never a silver bullet... BUT the data is clear. Our best bet is to invest in the growth of Africa's growing businesses. Early in the life of African Management Institute , we pivoted from training youth for jobs that didn't exist to a focus on building businesses. Our key 'reach' metric has shifted from people trained to businesses transformed (it's currently at 40k businesses btw, expected to x10 to half a million before 2030). Why? Because growing businesses create jobs. It was great to hear this message loud and clear at this week's African Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA) conference, where I joined an all-star panel discussing "The Youth Factor: Africa's Path to Sustainable Jobs and Growth". Thanks Paul Breloff Beatrice Gichohi Dr. Ehud Gachugu, PhD.,HSC and Olayide Odediran, CPC for the great conversation! My key takeaways: 🏦 Business-building impacts jobs at different levels: The evidence is clear that larger growing businesses create more jobs. However building more resilient MSMEs can collectively enhance job security and dignity for millions of youth. Both approaches are needed. 👧 Why are we expecting young people to create their own jobs? Yes, our youth are talented and innovative, but most want salaries not equity. As a sector, we've over-indexed on youth #entrepreneurship. Let's focus on supporting business owners - regardless of their age - to grow and create jobs *for* youth rather than investing in yet another youth startup programme. Maybe the next Bill Gates will be from Africa, but we can't wait for that. 🧠 Train for universal skills not technical skill: We keep saying this, but does the money follow? When we train young people with workplace skills, let's focus on the 'universal' or 'soft' skills that will set them up to thrive in a rapidly-changing workplace. Problem-solving. Empathy. Influence. Ability to adapt and learn. 📈 We know what works. So let's scale! Thanks to all the session attendees for the great questions. Looking forward to collaborating on the above with old and new friends. Mercy Mutua Mastercard Foundation Magdalena Banasiak Acumen Shortlist Professionals Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) Challenge Fund for Youth Employment William Asiko The Rockefeller Foundation Kim Matu GDI Africa Alice Gugelev Seth Mulli Anthony Karanja Kabiru