How Africa Can Quantum Leap Its Development: Insights from SFAN Career Fair

Sub-Saharan Africa can quantum leap its development and unlock the full potential of its rising workforce, by prioritizing the need for a skilled and advancing labor force.

Traditionally, Sub-Saharan Africa has been characterized as land and resource-abundant, but labor scarce. For decades, the region’s development agenda has been mired in the belief and burden of the resource curse.

But recent projections show that from 2000 to 2050, Africa’s population will rise by 160%, turning most countries in the region into labor-abundant economies.

This demographic change has new and important implications for the region’s development dynamics and comparative advantage.

With the rising human population, advancing human capital is fundamental to the continent’s economic advancement. The confluence of rapid technological change and globalization means skill development is imperative for countries seeking to close the development gap and become economically competitive (OECD).

It is for this reason that the work of capacity builders in Africa is of dire importance to the continent’s economic and social advancement. The work that pioneering capacity builders, such as Stars From All Nations (SFAN) in Ghana, do, is essential to achieving all development outcomes in the country because, without ready and available skilled labor, companies and organizations cannot grow and deliver on their missions and goals.

Quantum Leap Career Fair 2017 Panel

Stars From All Nations (SFAN) is a social enterprise on a mission to provide education to employment/entrepreneurship pipeline opportunities for youths in Ghana and beyond. 

One of its hallmark events is its yearly Quantum Leap Career Fair, where the company brings together business leaders, HR experts, entrepreneurs, and hundreds of candidates to discuss the next phase of work and skill development on the continent.

At this year’s Quantum Leap Career Fair, held at the British Council Ghana, business leaders such as Lucy Quist, Chief Executive Officer at Airtel Ghana, joined about 300 participants in thinking through the future of work on the continent.

The event, aptly named Technology and the Future of Work in Africa, hosted a panel session with Yasmin Kumi, Founder at Africa Foresight Group; Paul Payne, Manager at the British Council Skills Hub; Josiah Kwesi-Eyison, Co-founder at iSpace; Amma Baffoe, Recruitment Manager at MEST; Genevieve Puni, Founder at Rectrain Limited; and Jemila Abdulai, Founder at Circumspecte.

The panel session was followed by a one-on-one mentoring session where candidates had the opportunity to talk to resource personnel about their resumes, career interests, enterprise ideas, and job opportunities.

How To Quantum Leap Africa's Youth Development

Conversations during the day revealed that Africans do not only have a responsibility but a unique opportunity to solve both local and global problems.

In fact, Africans today are in a unique and unprecedented position: with modern advances in technology and access to the global market (the proliferation of mobile phones, social media, tech tools), there has never been a better time to join the global movement and ride the proverbial technological wave.

Finally, the veil of fear and ignorance that has long separated the continent from the rest of the world is lifting, as worlds and people connect through various social platforms.

But while technology brings new opportunities to connect and new employment and business opportunities, young Africans must also build and work for businesses that address local issues that have long plagued and continue to plague our communities and dim progress: high illiteracy, poverty, low health outcomes, food insecurity, and inequality.

The Good News

History shows that in the long term, “investing in skills development is far less costly than paying the price for poorer health, lower incomes, unemployment, and social exclusion — all of which are closely tied to lower skills” (OECD).

That means skills development allows us to make the quantum leap to a more prosperous Africa because it inherently addresses many of the issues that the continent faces.

The future of Africa is finally here! Both labor and resource-rich, generations of future Africans can enjoy a better quality of life if institutions, capacity builders, and businesses work together to bring more skilled and knowledgeable founders and workers who will address the issues of today and tomorrow to the market.

How SFAN Supports Workforce Readiness in Africa

SFAN established the transformational ReadyforWork accelerator to unlock the potential of Africa's budding talents and help them become part of the global workforce.

About ReadyforWork

For entry-level job seekers and early career professionals who need tools, services, and support to learn new digital skills to launch or future-proof their careers, ReadyforWork offers an Al-assisted education solution with a market-aligned curriculum, clear career path and tools to prove their skills to prospective employers.

The platform is a two-sided marketplace. It helps learners understand how they stack up against their competition, gives them resources to level up and become of higher value when looking for gainful and meaningful work, and gives employers access to an emerging talent pipeline for a global workforce --with data-driven mechanisms to assess that talent.

Unlike other training programs that major in providing certifications, which do not Unlike other training programs that major in providing certifications, which do not work, ReadyforWork focuses on deep education, making learners minimally viable for their career aspirations. Through project-based, industry-driven training models and coach support, ReadyforWork gives students tools to turn their skills into businesses and fulfilling careers.

How ReadyforWork Works

ReadyforWork leverages strategic partnerships with employers and entrepreneurs in high-growth industries to help learners experience a market-aligned curriculum and create successful careers.

Our success-based pricing means learners can enjoy high-value, data-driven education at less than 30% of the cost of traditional programs. Whether you're looking for a new job, want to upskill to future-proof your career, or turn your passion into a business, ReadyforWork provides personalized, project-based learning, 1:1 career coaching, and career pipelines that help participants unlock their life potential.

Unique Benefits for Transformational Results

ReadyforWork sets itself apart from the competition because of its intense focus on deep education with project-based programming. Some unique benefits include:

1. Market-Aligned Curriculum: A market-aligned curriculum means students learn from industry practitioners and not individuals that never practiced what they're teaching in real life.
2. Project-Based Learning: The project-based learning framework allows learners to solve real business problems for real companies, not made-up case studies with zero accountability.
3. Personalized Education: Personalized education helps learners access tailored materials that meet their career needs where they are and track their progress with actual data.
4. Ongoing Career Support: With the community support and job pipeline, ReadyforWork learners get the tools, services, and support systems they need to turbocharge their careers.

Every candidate who graduates from our program can be sure they are ReadyforWork! Watch Kezia Owusu's remarkable impact story.