The YES! mission is to electrify a continent of one billion people, by engaging 10% in the conversation. YES! has taken on the mission to build a network of 100 million people by 2035, creating a community for job creation, grass roots participation and knowledge sharing for the energy sector so vastly untapped human resources across Africa can flourish.
The Challenge
The challenge is not a competition, the challenge is not who will succeed first – the challenge is to electrify a continent & create the conditions for economic empowerment.
Africa is the youngest and fastest-growing continent in the world. According to the IMF, population growth on the continent means that, by 2035, there will be more young Africans entering the workforce each year than in the rest of the world combined. Properly harnessed, this young growing working-age population can drive Africa’s economic transformation.
However, this opportunity could also pass Africa by. Currently the majority of youth do not have secure work or economic futures. Of the 420 million youth aged between 15 and 35 in Africa today, the majority are unemployed, have insecure jobs or are in casual employment. The consequence of this translates into a failure to capitalise on one of the continent’s greatest assets for growth – its large growing population of talented young people.
On a continent where over 50% of Africans do not have access to electricity, not only is there a huge opportunity to develop energy projects for employment, but also to harness that energy for economic development.
Beyond Privilege is an online community recruitment platform powered by YES! which aims to connect young candidates from Africa with industry leaders within the energy sector. We network, create jobs and boost employability for all.
Beyond Privilege was launched in June 2023 at the Youth Energy Summit alongside aef. It is a digital social media and job creation platform allowing Graduates, Early Career Professionals and Entrepreneurs to engage with one another and share initiatives all year round, whilst being able to apply for jobs from the leading organisations from anywhere on the African continent.
Jackson Miller
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interior designer // owner
Jackson Miller