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.

In episode 12, "Equity Through Entrepreneurship" of Future Economies Start with Youth – The Podcast, host Kevin Eustatia takes a deep dive into entrepreneurship and how it can pave the way for equitable access to decent work. Featuring insights from CFYE Country Leads for Morocco Farah Fawzi and Senegal, Aminata Diouf, the discussion uncovers the complexities of gender disparities within the informal sector and the strides being made towards inclusivity. Furthermore, an enlightening interview with Fatou Diop, founder of Calinounou, sheds light on the transformative potential of entrepreneurial ventures, particularly in formalizing the housekeeping sector. Amidst challenges like informality and skill gaps, entrepreneurship offers a beacon of hope for youth employment. Through a multilateral approach involving government, private sector, and educational institutions, the episode envisions a future where entrepreneurship thrives as a catalyst for equitable and sustainable employment. Join us as we explore the dynamic intersection of entrepreneurship, youth empowerment, and equity, envisioning a future where opportunity knows no bounds.

In this episode, titled “The Power of Social Businesses”, our guest speakers Abdissa Tegene, CFYE Country Lead for Ethiopia, Irene Sleven, co-director of VSO Netherlands, and Feven Tsehaye, founder and CEO of Tchakka Origins, engaged in an insightful discussion on the value of social enterprises. Join them as they unravel the inner workings of businesses with a strong social focus, how they operate, and dive into the benefits that arise from intertwining social responsibility with economic prosperity for greater social impact.

Political and economic uncertainty, conflict and insecurity have negative impacts on entire populations. However, these affect vulnerable groups – such as youth and women – in a disproportionate manner. In fragile contexts, their already precarious social and economic situation gets exacerbated by sudden shocks in the labour market, leaving them with fewer and poorer job opportunities.

In this episode, our guest speakers Ahmed Darwish, our Country Lead for Sudan, Safia Elfadni from Alsalam Factory and Jonathan Moss, expert on conflict and stabilisation, discussed the significance of development programs in fragile contexts and how they can be designed to be sustainable also in the long term.

Local ownership, focus on vulnerable groups like youth and women, and going beyond financial support were just some of the examples of good practices that our speakers brought up. Listen or watch the full episode to know more!

In the 9th episode of Future Economies Start with Youth, we will explore the opportunities and limitations of green policies in the business sphere. Business support is absolutely essential to achieving a net-zero future, but how can we effectively translate environmental policies into our business settings? To answer this question, three experts who offer key insights into the theory and practicality of green policy implementation will join us from an international business perspective.

While many organizations strive to establish youth-focused policies, they often overlook a critical tool to enhance meaningful youth participation. By establishing a Young Employee Network (YEN), companies can create a supportive environment for employees to openly share their concerns with their peers, network, and build a community, based on shared experiences and interests. In this episode, we will explore young employee networks' power in retaining youth from a theoretical and practical perspective.