Celebrating the ‘Year of Africa’

JA Africa is committed to bringing world-class education to youth across the globe to prepare them for their future careers whether as entrepreneurs or valuable employees. This year, we have big plans for young people on the African continent. Within our global network, 2020 is the ‘Year of Africa’, a first of its kind campaign in JA’s history, which aims to bring additional visibility, resources and capacity to support young talents in Africa. The theme for the campaign is ‘Africa’s Youth: Shaping the Future.’ 

Africa has the youngest population in the world, and it is growing fast. By 2055, the continent’s youth population (aged 15-24), is expected to be more than double the 2015 total of 226 million. JA believes that young people are the solution to unleashing Africa’s economic potential and are committed to investing in them to pave the way for Africa’s development.

In celebration of the Year of Africa, we are planning the following event and activities:

  • JA Worldwide Board of Governors meeting in Africa: Taking place in Johannesburg, South Africa from 3-4 February 2020, this meeting will bring together JA Worldwide staff, Members of the Global Board of Directors, JA Africa Board members and other stakeholders to discuss strategies to expand JA programs on the continent. This meeting represents the first time in JA’s 100-year history that the global Board is meeting on the continent.
  • Celebrating Impact: JA Africa is publishing an Impact Evaluation of the Company Program. This is the first comprehensive, multi-country impact evaluation report on JA’s Company Program. The report covers responses from alumni in five countries: Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia. It brings to view the impact JA’s flagship program has had on past participants and how they have gone on to become job creators for themselves and others. We are grateful to Citi Foundation for funding this project, Susan Chaffin for conducting it and Oliver Wyman for packaging it. Read the report here

  • Raising our Voice: We will also showcase JA Africa as a thought leader in youth, education and entrepreneurship issues in Africa and bring visibility to JA’s work by partaking in high profile events throughout the course of the year.
  • Recognizing Alumni: The JA Africa Alumni yearbook tells the stories of 100 inspiring and compelling alumni of JA programs in Africa. We are excited to share these stories with the world to demonstrate the impact of JA has had on Africa’s youth.

In the course of the year, we will announce even more exciting activities and programs to celebrate this important year in JA’s history.

We welcome individuals, corporate partners and donors to come on board on this campaign. We are excited to start a conversation on how your giving can make a lasting impact on the future of Africa. Please write to us at info@ja-africa.org