Young Africa Works 2017

On February 16 and 17, 2017, the Mastercard Foundation hosted its second Young Africa Works Summit in Kigali, Rwanda. This event brought together a community of 300 thought leaders, from NGOs, government, funders, and the private sector, all committed to developing sustainable youth employment strategies in Africa. Young people played a critical role to help us understand and explore their journeys, including the challenges they face, in securing meaningful economic opportunities.

Building on the dynamic conversations of the inaugural Summit in 2015, we shifted the discussion from how to engage youth in agriculture, to youth as drivers of agricultural transformation. This transformation holds tremendous promise for catalyzing prosperity and creating sustainable livelihoods for young people in Africa. The Summit explored three sub-themes that contribute to agricultural transformation: gender, technology, and climate-smart agriculture.

The 2017 Summit has now ended, but the conversations about transforming the agri-food system and sustainable youth employment opportunities will continue. You can view the session videos here.