News & Media

As schools and universities shut down across the globe, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted a critical need for technology-supported education that provides access to education from anywhere. For young Africans living with disabilities, young women, refugees, internally displaced persons, and those living in rural areas, remote learning opens up possibilities that have never before been an option. The Mastercard Foundation, United States International University–Africa, and Arizona State University are proud to announce the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program e-Learning Initiative, providing 600,000 university students access to education from anywhere in Africa.  

he unemployment rate for women in Nigeria is at 35 percent, with the male unemployment rate at 31 percent. To help bring both numbers down, an initiative called Alliance for Better Work has been launched by the largest job placement website in sub-Saharan Africa—Jobberman—in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation. This new initiative is targeting gainful employment for 3 million young people by 2025, with efforts focused on bridging the gap on gender-based unemployment.  

The University of Rwanda is the latest partner in the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program. This new initiative will give 1,200 young Africans access to higher education, with focus placed on women pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); young people with disabilities; and refugees and displaced youth. University of Rwanda Vice-Chancellor Professor Alexandre Lyambabaje says the program and partnership align with the Rwanda National Transformation Strategy, “and its impact will resonate at the University of Rwanda, among our stakeholders, and through the larger East African Community.” 

An initiative by Value Seeds Limited, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, will provide agricultural training and supplemental products such as fertilizers, tools, and seeds to nearly 10,000 smallholder farmers in Nigeria. With women making up 70 percent of the recipient base, these small-scale farmers will be able to increase their yields, sell more crops, and have more savings left for their families at the end of harvest.

560,000 individuals, predominantly youth and women, will have access to dignified and fulfilling work by 2022, through the Mastercard Foundation Young Africa Works in Nigeria partnership with Babban Gona.

A new digital platform, COVIDHQ Africa, provides African perspectives on issues related to the global pandemic.

FDRE Jobs Creation Commission, in alignment with Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works strategy, has designed and launched a three-year inclusive and innovative project, TILA, to address the needs of women in rural Ethiopia, internally displaced people, refugees, homeless youth, and people with disabilities.

Beautiful things, made by Africa, delivered globally. This is how best to summarize Ananse Africa, a startup ecommerce platform, launched today, in Johannesburg and Lagos, connecting African designers with local and international consumers.

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and Mastercard Foundation have partnered to respond to COVID-19.  Through its COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Program, Mastercard Foundation is committing US$40 million to the Africa CDC’s Partnership to Accelerate COVID-19 Testing (PACT).