We’re launching the Cross Border Jobs Startup Competition to identify and support bold startups shaping the future of labour mobility for Africans. This competition seeks to source bold ideas, spotlight existing solutions, and build momentum for safer, fairer, and scalable pathways for the African continent to move across borders

If you’re building a platform or service that helps African talent move, connect, and thrive across borders, we want to hear from you.

1. Why We Are Running This Competition

The Challenge: Africa’s labour market is expanding at an unprecedented pace. In Sub-Saharan Africa alone, 10–12 million young people are joining the labour market annually, yet only about 3 million formal sector jobs are being created. This gap leaves millions without viable and formal employment options at home.

Meanwhile, regions such as Europe and the Gulf are grappling with acute labour shortages in industries and sectors like hospitality, construction and nursing among others. This mismatch creates both a challenge and an opportunity: African talent is eager to work, and the global demand is rising; but the systems to connect workers with the demand remain broken, risky and underinvested.   

The evidence: 

And yet, when migration works, its impact is extraordinary. A single move from a low-income to a high-income country can increase incomes by 400 to over 1,000% within just one year. For an unskilled worker with limited prospects in Ghana, it would take over 40 years of domestic economic growth to match the income gains achieved through migration. The ripple effects also extend far beyond the individual: families benefit through better education, healthcare, housing, and stability, while communities gain from remittances and returning skills. 

While very fair concerns have been raised around migration depleting talent at home, the evidence does not back up the ‘brain drain’ hypotheses. While many roles – in hospitality and construction, for example – have a skills oversupply in many sending countries, research also suggests that enhanced migration possibilities for skilled roles like nurses could actually grow the overall pool of skilled workers. For example, in the Philippines, for every nurse who left to work in the United States, nine more were trained and stayed behind. The prospect of better wages abroad for the same jobs spurred investment in training locally, motivating young people to enter the profession. Migration, in this case, didn’t drain talent but it multiplied it. If managed well, migration does not turn out to be a loss, but it might be one of the most powerful tools we have to expand opportunities.

The status quo: Despite its promise and extraordinary potential growth in earnings, migration for young Africans today is often a painful journey. Many workers fall into the hands of brokers who charge huge upfront fees with little transparency. Recruitment is mostly informal, contracts are unclear, and protections are weak. The result is not that people stop moving, but their movement becomes riskier. Countless stories of violence towards vulnerable migrations and dishonest brokers putting young Africans at risk permeate the media. These media stories tend not to even tell the stories of the countless many who have found themselves indebted or stuck in low quality jobs unable to return to their families. 

The opportunity: It doesn’t have to be this way; labour mobility for young Africans can become safer, clearer, and more affordable. With population demographics likely to make Africa the ‘labour basket of the world’ over the coming half-century, either we develop safer and better quality pathways for labour mobility, or the poor quality status quo will represent the future too. 

There is immense potential to reshape cross-border work. With new job corridors opening and technology expanding, platforms do have a chance to build systems that make cross-border work safe, transparent, and fair. Some platforms that the Jobtech Alliance has started working with are already leading the way: Aedilo is a digital recruitment platform for overseas workers, improving the conditions and quality of blue collar labour mobility between Africa and the Gulf, while Velocity bridges critical skills gaps by connecting skilled professionals (initially Kenyan healthcare workers) with employers in Europe through a technology-driven language skills and matching system.

Our role: The Jobtech Alliance, Labor Mobility Partnerships (LaMP), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Tech Safari are collaborating to convene this competition, with support from the Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (CFYE). We want to identify what solutions are out there, shine a spotlight on innovators tackling these barriers, and create momentum for a more transparent and accessible labour mobility system. We hope that this offers a starting point for greater engagement in the space.

2. What We’re Looking For

We are seeking startups that:

• Facilitate worker mobility across African or global borders, through recruitment, placement and/or service management
  
• Offer enabling services focused on the needs of migrants such as finance, language training, compliance, housing, or recruitment
  
• Expand existing jobtech solutions into the labour mobility space
  

3. Eligibility

Eligible startups must satisfy all the following conditions:

• Offer cross-border labour mobility solutions for Africans, between Africa and globally and across African borders
• Have a registered business. 
• Though the business can be at any stage (including idea/MVP stage), some evidence of traction is preferred.
• Adhere to principles relating to responsible and professional labor migration

4. Prizes & Support

The top 3 startups win:

• Grants worth $10k each
• Access to the Jobtech Alliance’s tech perks worth up to $200,000 per company (including AWS credits and more)
• Mentorship + community access through Jobtech Alliance, LaMP, IOM, and partners
• Eligibility for follow-on support for startups showing strong traction

5. Key Dates

• Applications open: 1 October
• Q&A Webinar: 17th October
  • If you have any questions, feel free to email at [email protected] and register to join for the Q&A webinar here
• Deadline: 31 October
• Shortlisting complete: 7 November
• Pitches of Shortlisted companies: 10-17 November
• Winners announced: Early December 

6. How to Apply

👉 Apply here by completing the short application form, alongside a max 10 slide pitch deck

7. Queries and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Who can apply?
Any registered startup building solutions for cross-border labour mobility for Africans, whether within Africa or globally. NGOs and individuals without a registered entity are not eligible.

Do I need to already be operating across borders to apply?
Not necessarily. Early-stage ventures and platforms currently focused on local markets are welcome if they have clear potential or plans to expand into labour mobility. Evidence of viability of the idea and/or traction is a strong criteria for selection, as well as demonstrated evidence of safeguarding considerations.

What stage of startup are you looking for?
All stages are welcome – from idea/MVP to scaled businesses. Some traction is preferred, but not required.

Can startups based outside Africa apply?
Yes, startups headquartered outside Africa can apply, as long as their solution directly serves African workers.

Can startups already working in mobility outside Africa apply?
Yes, but they must show a clear plan for how their solution will be adapted to serve African workers.

What is the selection criteria?

Applicants will be judged based on:

(1) Impact potential. This includes both potential scale, and depth of impact (ie. platforms creating jobs preferred, those targeting more vulnerable populations, etc) 

(2) Business Model Viability. This includes evidence of traction and/or viability of the solution.

(3) Innovation. This considers the platform’s approach to respond to the sector’s challenges.

Safeguarding will be a consideration across all dimensions.

When will results be announced?
Final winners will be announced by early December, following application review and selection. Prizes will be disbursed before the end of December.

Who is behind the competition?
The competition is being managed as a collaboration between the Jobtech Alliance, LaMP, IOM and TechSafari, with support from the Challenge Fund for Youth Employment. The administrators of the cash prize are the Jobtech Alliance team at Mercy Corps.

The competition is a collaboration between:

• Jobtech Alliance: It is an ecosystem-building initiative for digital platforms connecting people to work opportunities in Africa. This includes work in various sectors including the creative industries, digital work, and microenterprise. In addition to supporting Aedilo and Velocity in the labour mobility space, the Jobtech Alliance will be publishing a Labour Mobility and Jobtech Sector Scan at the end of the year.
  
• LaMP (Labor Mobility Partnerships):  LaMP is a global non-profit working to increase the quantity and quality of labor migration by designing, piloting, and scaling mobility models that deliver income gains for workers and meet employer needs—while driving systems change through networks, platforms, and coalitions that advance policy reform and build a global industry of solution providers. Through this competition, LaMP seeks to understand the challenges that entrepreneurs face in the labor mobility industry and identify promising solutions that can be supported or replicated
  
• IOM (International Organization for Migration): The UN migration agency, and leading intergovernmental organization in the field of migration, brings technical expertise as part of its strategic objective to facilitate regular pathways for migration.
  
• Tech Safari: A platform showcasing Africa’s most exciting tech stories, helping startups gain visibility and global reach. Through this competition, they bring the conversation on labour mobility to a wider audience
  

The competition is also supported by the Challenge Fund for Youth Employment, aligning with its mission to create safe, dignified jobs for African youth. The Jobtech Alliance team at Mercy Corps will administer the cash prizes.

Where can I ask additional questions?
Email us at [email protected] or join the Q&A webinar on 17th October