Mastercard Foundation commits $4.7 billion to youth efforts in Africa
The Mastercard Foundation plans to award $4.7 billion in support education and employment initiatives for Africa’s youth by 2030, Bloomberg reports.
The funding will support skills training and increased access to technology and entrepreneurship to secure a stable and prosperous future for the continent with the youngest population in the world. The foundation’s goal is to help 30 million young people find dignified and fulfilling work by 2030 and assist 100,000—70 percent of whom will be women—in gaining an education. Since its creation in 2006, the foundation has provided roughly two-thirds of its funding in support of efforts in Africa and currently disburses approximately $1.3 billion a year on development programs.
“Our impact is all about ensuring an overwhelming public benefit for people who would otherwise not be reached, not be served or given an opportunity,” Mastercard Foundation CEO Reeta Roy told Bloomberg. “The work is essentially about creating economic opportunities.”
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