How outsourcing can open global doors for Africa’s young jobseekers

The demographic transition means millions of young people in Africa demand income-generating opportunities. A game-changing pathway for youth employment at scale lies in Africa’s burgeoning Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and IT Outsourcing (ITO) sector. Globalisation and digitisation mean that young Africans can access and compete for work opportunities in global markets at a scale never before seen.

The Mastercard Foundation partnered with Genesis Analytics to clearly define and quantify this opportunity, and craft strategic interventions that the foundation can undertake to amplify employment prospects for Africa's dynamic young workforce.

The team delivered a comprehensive strategic plan to the foundation. This set out a clear set of strategic, targeted interventions that the foundation could undertake to rapidly catalyse pan-African BPO and ITO sector employment. These interventions were informed by a diagnostic assessment of the global industry, a zoom-in on Africa’s positioning in the global BPO and ITO marketplace, and a clear outline of scale constraints. This was rigorously researched and co-created with key BPO and ITO stakeholders across the continent, via stakeholder interviews and multiple workshops. The strategy cut across a variety of different sectors, services and geographies, and also included a fully designed implementation plan with timelines, numerical targets, proposed partners and costs.

This work was undertaken as part of the foundation’s Young Africa Works Strategy, which aims to create 30 million jobs by 2030.