Mar 19, 2026
Market Trends
In a recent piece for The Guardian, Monica Geingos, former First Lady of Namibia, noted that for the first time in history, more than 70% of Sub-Saharan Africans are under the age of 30. By 2050, more than 25% of the world’s population will be African.
In a recent piece for The Guardian, Monica Geingos, former First Lady of Namibia, noted that for the first time in history, more than 70% of Sub-Saharan Africans are under the age of 30. By 2050, more than 25% of the world’s population will be African.
I don’t see these numbers as a population challenge. I see what Geingos describes: one of the greatest opportunities for global innovation and shared prosperity in our lifetime. I heard the same sentiment clearly at Davos, where World Bank President Ajay Banga put it: “Ignoring Africa is like ignoring the future of where the world’s going.”
Across Rwanda, Kenya, and South Africa, I meet young people with extraordinary ambition and determination. We see the height of this potential in stories like that of William Kamkwamba. As a young boy in Malawi, William was forced to drop out of school because his family could not afford tuition. Yet, using only library books and scrap metal, he went on to build a windmill that powered his village. While his brilliance eventually took him to global stages like TED and Davos, his journey highlights the painful reality that for every young genius like William, there are thousands of equally talented youth whose potential is stalled by a lack of access.
The disconnect is not talent–it is access to the systems surrounding it. Every month, one million young people enter the labor market, yet only one in six workers has a wage job.
Education remains the most reliable engine of economic mobility. Right now, over 40% of youth lack the specific skills needed for employment. Globally, each additional year of schooling increases lifetime earnings by roughly about 9%. But for too many African students, the path to postsecondary education is blocked not by ability, but by financing. Traditional loans often require collateral or immediate repayment structures that exclude the very learners with the most to gain. As a result, postsecondary enrollment in Sub-Saharan Africa remains far below the global average – just 9% compared to 43% globally.
Our starting belief is simple: talent is universal, but access to opportunity is not. When financing aligns with learners’ real economic futures—rather than demanding security they do not have—education becomes accessible, employment rises, and entire economies benefit.
I often think of Elyse, a young woman with the academic ability and determination to pursue an engineering degree, but no clear way to afford it. Traditional financing options were out of reach. Through Chancen’s model, she was able to enroll, complete her studies, and secure her first professional role—repaying only once she was earning.
Today, Elyse is fully financially independent. She supports her child, helps fund her siblings’ education, and serves as a role model for young women pursuing STEM careers in her community.
The difference was not talent or effort. It was a system willing to share risk.
As Elyse told us: “My life has changed. I can afford anything by myself, without asking anyone or begging. I am living my best life.”
Her story reflects what becomes possible when opportunity is aligned with potential—not constrained by upfront cost.
Elyse’s story is not unique in talent. What must become universal is opportunity.
As Geingos noted, this decade will be decisive. The Mastercard Foundation recently put it this way: “The choices made today will determine whether Africa’s youth dividend becomes a foundation for shared prosperity.” Realizing that the future will require new forms of partnership between educators, employers, governments, and investors—along with financing models designed for outcomes, not exclusion.
In the months ahead, I look forward to sharing what we are learning alongside our partners and, most importantly, alongside the students whose success is already demonstrating what is possible when opportunity is truly within reach.
#EducationFinance #FutureOfWork #AfricaRising #ImpactInvesting #HumanCapital #StudentSuccess #EconomicMobility #GlobalDevelopment #WomenInSTEM #ChancenInternational #GlobaISAAlliance
