Mercy Corps & BFA Global's Jobtech Alliance Announces its First Cohort of Jobtech Platforms Creating Jobs in Africa
Summary
The Jobtech Alliance, steered by Mercy Corps and BFA Global, today announced its first cohort of startups that are connecting young people to jobs.Four companies will join the Catalyst Job Accelerator and six will participate in the Jobtech Innovation Lab.The Accelerator will provide $200,000 in grant capital, bespoke venture building support, and access to industry experts through a six-month program that will equip the companies with the tools to grow their ventures.Over the next year, the Jobtech Innovation Lab will work with six companies to help them develop new products or services, grow and create more jobs, support their commercial growth strategy and gender-focused business strategy, improve their operations to better deliver services, reach new markets, or remove barriers to access for marginalized people, especially young women and refugees.The four companies selected to participate in the Catalyst Jobtech Accelerator are:[Nigeria]: a digital platform eliminating inefficiencies in the custom tailoring industry in Nigeria by utilizing Machine Learning (ML) to generate measurements, thus allowing tailors to focus on their core business of sewing. [C\xf4te dIvoire]: a skill-on-demand digital platform for artisans and gig workers in the informal sector offering a wide range of services including plumbing, home repairs and maintenance, IT support, and others. [Kenya]: a tech-enabled marketplace that connects global companies to vetted and trained remote team members on the African continent, with a focus on early-career tech & data roles. Our collaboration with Mercy Corps through the Jobtech Alliance will enable us to support platforms in Africa said Michelle Hassan, Co-director of Jobtech Alliance.The six companies selected to participate in the Jobtech Innovation Lab are:[Uganda]: the largest Pan-African e-commerce platform with a sales agent program dubbed Jumia Force (JForce), enabling freelance consultants to earn a commission by supporting consumers to place their orders on Jumia across the country. [Kenya]: a platform offering a suite of digital financial services (earned wage access, loans, insurance, savings) to workers in Africa.