JA Africa, Z Zurich Foundation Target 20,000 Youth With Jobs and Entrepreneurship Skills

JA Africa and the Z Zurich Foundation have launched a three-year programme to help 20,000 young people in Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Togo gain skills, build livelihoods and develop solutions to challenges in their communities.

Called Génération Équitable, the programme is the Francophone Africa phase of the JA Social Equity Program. Announced on the International Day of Peace, the initiative links youth economic participation with community development, focusing on entrepreneurship, financial literacy, digital skills and preparation for the workplace.

Of the 20,000 young people targeted, 5,000 are expected to achieve major economic outcomes, including securing employment, starting businesses or significantly increasing their income. Another 15,000 participants are expected to record measurable improvements in their skills and confidence.

JA Africa and the Z Zurich Foundation expect the programme to indirectly benefit a further 100,000 household and community members, taking the projected reach to 120,000 lives by 2029.

Focus on Skills and Economic Opportunity

Génération Équitable builds on the first phase of the JA Social Equity Program, which ran from 2022 to 2025. That programme directly reached about 175,000 young people across nine African countries and contributed to a wider impact estimated at approximately 612,000 lives.

The first phase used practical learning, mentoring and youth-led social enterprises to help participants increase their economic participation and work on problems affecting their communities.

JA Africa said the experience also highlighted challenges specific to Francophone markets, including limited formal employment opportunities, gaps between training and labour-market demand, and language-related barriers to learning. The new programme has been designed around those conditions.

Participants will take part in in-person leadership bootcamps alongside the JA Digital Entrepreneurship Education Program (JA DEEP), an eight-module, self-paced digital entrepreneurship course.

The programme will also support participants as they develop projects addressing problems in their own communities.

Making the Programme More Inclusive

JA Africa and its partners are incorporating measures aimed at young people who face additional barriers to participation. These include on-site childcare for young mothers and assistive learning materials for young people with disabilities.

Delivery will take place through local organisations in each country. Partners include Gestion d’Entreprise Formation et Études (GEFED) alongside JA Burkina Faso, KADEA/Fondation Kinshasa Digital in the DRC and YMCA Togo. The approach is intended to allow young people from different backgrounds to take part in training while developing projects that respond to local needs.

Building Local Support Systems

The partnership goes beyond programme funding. Employees from Zurich Insurance Group will provide skills-based volunteering and capacity-building support through the Z Zurich Foundation.

JA Africa and the foundation also plan to work with national Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions and ministries responsible for youth and education in the three countries.

In the DRC, engagement with institutions such as ANADEC is intended to support the adoption of elements of the programme into formal training systems and strengthen local networks supporting youth employment and entrepreneurship.

JA Africa also plans to work with multilateral organisations and development finance partners to secure additional resources for the programme.

“Peace is strengthened when young people can see a future for themselves and have the tools to contribute to their communities,” said Simi Nwogugu, President and CEO of JA Africa.

“Through Génération Équitable, we are helping young people in Burkina Faso, the DRC, and Togo turn ambition into livelihoods and local challenges into solutions.”

Adriana Poglia, Head of Enabling Social Equity at the Z Zurich Foundation, said the programme combines funding, employee volunteering and local partnerships to help young people access livelihoods and participate in their communities. JA Africa says it has delivered more than five million learning experiences across Africa over the past five years.

The organisation is now seeking additional funding partners for Génération Équitable as it works to sustain the programme beyond its initial three-year period.