Nairobi, Kenya, July 29, 2024 – The Jobtech Alliance steered by Mercy Corps and BFA Global has announced its second cohort of platforms dedicated to connecting Africans with quality and decent job opportunities across the continent. 

As Africa faces significant challenges such as high unemployment, a burgeoning youth population, and ongoing barriers to economic inclusion, the Jobtech Alliance is catalyzing a transformation in the future of work by cultivating an ecosystem of innovative digital platforms that connect people to quality job opportunities.

The addition of these eight platforms will further strengthen the Alliance’s portfolio, which includes 17 jobtech platforms operating in seven African countries. These platforms create jobs for youth, improve employment quality for workers, and uplift underserved individuals, including women and refugees. 

“We’re thrilled to double down on our efforts with another cohort of jobtech innovators improving access to decent employment across Africa,” said Michelle Hassan, Co-director at Jobtech Alliance. “By building an enabling ecosystem, we can improve livelihoods across the continent.”

Each platform will receive investment capital, bespoke venture-building support, advisory services from leading experts, and opportunities to scale their innovative platforms through the Alliance’s growing cross-sector partnerships. This initiative is part of Jobtech Alliance’s broader effort, which engages hundreds of jobtech platforms across Africa and stakeholders, including investors and policymakers, in learning and community-building activities.

“Since starting venture support, we’ve learned a lot about the jobtech ecosystem and the sorts of platforms that can create meaningful jobs at scale in Africa. We’re excited by the diversity of this sector, which can be seen in this latest cohort of companies which range from solar installation platforms to influencer platforms, and agent networks.”

The platforms selected for Jobtech Investment are:

Selar  [Nigeria]: An e-commerce tool enabling African creatives and entrepreneurs to sell digital content, products, and services across borders.

Opareta [Uganda]: A platform that digitizes mobile money agent businesses, supporting activities like float management, performance analytics and channel oversight.

Mwingi [Kenya]: A tech-enabled trading network revolutionizing the supply of essential goods to remote, rural areas of Africa through franchised retail outlets.

Instollar [Nigeria]: A green energy marketplace that uses location and skill algorithms to connect renewable energy companies with freelance green-collar workers across Africa.

CatalyzU [South Africa]: An end-to-end solution that vets, trains (Startup Operator School, Experiential Fellowships, Micro MBA diplomas) and places non-technical talent at global startups and VC funds via a matchmaking talent marketplace.

Goodayon [Ethiopia]: A location-based gig platform that connects customers with reliable domestic help, home repair, and maintenance services.

Afriwork [Ethiopia]: A job-matching platform leveraging Telegram to offer fully automated and self-catered recruitment services to SMEs and beyond.

Gwiji [Kenya]: A mobile platform that connects underprivileged women with urban households in need of cleaning services.

The Jobtech Alliance remains committed to catalyzing a thriving ecosystem to support and improve sustainable job creation across Africa, with the shared goal of transforming lives and the quality of work. For more information about the Jobtech Alliance and its initiatives, visit https://jobtechalliance.com/

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About Jobtech Alliance

The Jobtech Alliance is an ecosystem-building initiative around inclusive jobtech in Africa launched in late 2021. They are interested in digital platforms which connect people to work opportunities that build livelihoods – this includes gigmatching platforms, jobmatching, e-commerce marketplaces, and more. The Jobtech Alliance helps jobtech platforms to grow and create more jobs. 

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a global team of humanitarians working in over 40 countries, in partnership with local changemakers, global innovators, and people affected by crises to create a future of possibility, where everyone can prosper. Mercy Corps has been working with jobtech for over a decade, having supported innovation with dozens of jobtech platforms in Africa and the Middle East, and helped to guide the initial launch of the Jobtech Alliance in late 2021.

About BFA Global

BFA Global is an impact innovation firm that combines research, advisory, venture building, and investment expertise to build a more inclusive, equitable, and resilient future for underserved people and the planet. We partner with leading public, private and philanthropic organizations, global and local, to catalyze innovation ecosystems for impact across emerging markets. Founded in 2006, BFA Global is headquartered in Nairobi and Boston, with a presence in Colombia, New Delhi, Mexico City, Johannesburg, Lagos, Accra, Madrid, London and Paris. Learn more at bfaglobal.com.