(Bloomberg) -- The Mastercard Foundation plans to commit $4.7 billion over the next decade to support education and employment in Africa.
Africa has the youngest population in the world and the money will be spent to improve skills, increase access to technology and entrepreneurship, and to create opportunities for women and young people, according to the Toronto-based institution.
“The Foundation aims to support 30 million young people into dignified and fulfilling work by 2030,” and assist 100,000 young people, of whom 70% will be women, to get education, Chief Executive Officer Reeta Roy said in an interview. “These financial commitments cover a range of programs including education, entrepreneurship, work, healthcare and special programs,” she said.
Created in 2006 by Mastercard International Inc., Roy said the foundation currently deploys about $1.3 billion a year on development programs. The money “goes overwhelmingly to work in Africa,” Roy said, noting that two thirds of the foundation’s partners are based on the continent.
It is putting particular focus on trying to connect young people with work in a region where youth unemployment can be twice as high as the already-elevated jobless rate of older workers.
“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,” Roy said. “The work is essentially about creating economic opportunities.”
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