With 80 million African youths trapped in extreme poverty and a significant disparity between job seekers (10 to 12 million) and available opportunities (only 3 million), unemployment pressures are overwhelming. Various challenges exacerbate this situation, including skills gaps, gender disparities, and a heavy reliance on the informal economy, where work is often insecure and vulnerable. Faced with such large numbers of disenfranchised and unemployed youth, the need for scalable solutions becomes paramount. In this episode, host Kevin Eustatia and guests Ahmed Darwish, Adekemi Ajayi, Bowofade Elegbede, and Osagie Azeta explore the Scalable Employment Model's potential to reshape Africa's economic landscape, diving into CFYE's SEM Call and highlighting the impactful work of Acumen and initiatives like CropSafe.

In this episode, host Kevin Eustatia and guests Niek van Dijk, Andy Bownds, and Anouk Verheijen explore the world of social impact and financial sustainability through the lens of investment readiness. Together, they uncover the challenges and opportunities faced by social businesses in attracting investment to amplify their impact. From navigating grant funding to leveraging innovative financial structures, they share invaluable strategies and insights that can propel social enterprises to enhanced financial sustainability and greater societal impact.

In this episode, our host Kevin Eustatia Palm facilitated an insightful discussion on the potential of the plastic waste recycling sector to create green jobs for youth. Drawing upon the insights of the collaborative research conducted by The Include Knowledge platform and CFYE, the speakers Camee van Knippenberg, Brian Sagala and Rikke van der Veen explored the topic, respectively, from a youth, business and research perspective. Their discussions delved into the possibilities that this sector has to create green jobs and empower new generations of climate champions, while touching upon the current challenges to a sector-wide job improvement and formalisation. Their conclusion? Effective change hinges on a collaborative approach involving government, businesses, and workers.