The Mastercard Foundation is one of the world’s largest foundations
One of the leading foundations in the world, Mastercard Foundation, says it is committed to its agenda of helping three million young Ghanaian men and women to access dignified and fulfilling work by 2030.
In an Editors' Roundtable Forum held at the Marriott Hotel in Ghana on September 26, the top brass of the foundation said this ambition is tied to their grand plan of finding opportunities for Ghana and Africa’s growing youthful population.
Africa will be home to the world's largest workforce, with 375 million young people entering the job market by 2030. With the right skills, these young people will contribute to Africa's global competitiveness and improve their lives and communities.
To enable the Foundation, to achieve its bold ambition of enabling 3 million young Ghanaian women and men to access dignified and fulfilling work by 2030, a diagnostics exercise was commissioned, involving diverse stakeholders, and including young people, academia, the government, and the private sector. The agriculture and agriculture-adjacent sector was identified as the sector with the most feasible job creation and youth development potential, especially for young women.
Dubbed the Young Africa Works project, Mastercard Foundation says a lot of work has been done to ensure this agenda becomes a success.
“The Foundation’s vision in Ghana is that by 2030, the country will be a continental demonstration of young people, especially women, harnessing opportunities to shape the future of work and to create an inclusive economy with enhanced resilience for the most vulnerable.
The Young Africa Works in Ghana is aligned with An Agenda for Jobs: Creating Prosperity and Equal Opportunity for All and the government’s commitment to positioning the country as a global entrepreneurship and technology hub. It also aligns with the Ministry of Agriculture’s flagship programs, including Planting for Food and Jobs.”
The plan also seamlessly dovetails into the mission of the foundation which states unequivocally that “Everyone should have an equal chance to succeed regardless of their starting point in life. With access to education, financial services, and skills training, young people can have that chance.”
Operating in Ghana since 2009, the Foundation has identified agriculture and
the agriculture-adjacent sectors as areas of high potential to create work opportunities for young Ghanaian women and men.
The agriculture portfolio makes up 80-90 percent of the foundation’s partnerships in Ghana. Innovation and emerging sectors contribute up to
10-20% of their partnerships.
The Editors' Roundtable Forum was well attended with top management of the Foundation present, including its Ghana country Director, Rica Rwigamba.
The Mastercard Foundation in Ghana
The Foundation has been actively driving programs to provide young Ghanaians training, education, and livelihood opportunities since 2009.
In 2019, after more than a decade of impact in the country, the Foundation’s Board approved the setup of a regional office in Ghana to oversee the implementation of the Young Africa Works strategy across the sub-region. Since then, other offices have been set up in various African countries.
About Mastercard Foundation
The Mastercard Foundation is one of the world’s largest foundations, with a mission to advance education and financial inclusion. It works with visionary organizations to enable young people in Africa and Indigenous communities in Canada to access dignified and fulfilling work.
The Foundation was established in 2006 through the generosity of Mastercard when it became a public company. The Foundation is an independent organization and separate from the company. The Foundation’s Board of Directors and leadership determines its policies, operations, and programs.
