Young Africa Works 2025 Dialogue -Kampala, Uganda. February 18th-19th, 2025
To celebrate the 5 years of young African work in Uganda, the MasterCard Foundation organized an event focused on addressing young-led entrepreneurship and barriers to workforce development as a pathway to dignified work. The event brought together youth-led organizations, partners, program participants, private and public institutions, and more, reaffirming the role that Ugandan youth will play in shaping the future of the country’s economy.
In 2018, the MasterCard Foundation launched its Young Africa Works strategy. This is an ambitious goal for the next decade. By 2030, our work will ensure that 30 million young people in Africa, especially young women, have dignified and fulfilling job opportunities. Having provided a five-year program in Uganda, the foundation has reached a pivotal moment in its learning journey, characterized by baseline, research, program partnerships, and triangulation of evidence from external data.
Barriers such as outdated policies, inadequate infrastructure, and discrimination persist. In Uganda, our focus is to expand access to finance, education and skill training for smallholder farmers, teachers, out-of-school youth and youth in agriculture across the country.
Throughout the discussion, young people provided ideas, contributed shared solutions, and expressed their expectations for meaningful change. Their perspective influenced key recommendations and strengthened the need for policies and programs to support youth-led entrepreneurship.
Access to Finance: They highlighted the need for young-friendly financial products, flexible lending models, and alternative financing mechanisms to accommodate young entrepreneurs. Stronger Peer Network: Young entrepreneurs sought a platform that allowed peer learning, mentorship and co-partnerships to enhance business growth. Inclusion and targeted support: We advocated deliberate efforts to ensure that women, refugees and disabled people have coordinated access to financial services, training and market opportunities. Policy reform: They called for a simplified, supportive regulatory environment that allowed startups to thrive. Entrepreneurship in Education: They argue that entrepreneurial skills must be part of the learning journey of all young people, ensuring they graduate with both knowledge and the ability to apply it in a real business environment.
Their shared experiences made it clear that they weren’t waiting for change – they are creating it. Youth entrepreneurs are the catalysts of economic change and must be nurtured, funded and supported at all levels.
