ALX is catalysing the transformation of Africa and the worlds largest workforce, by developing the next generation of bold, innovative, ethical and entrepreneurial leaders. ALX is a community connecting entrepreneurial leaders and innovative problem solvers in a Pan-African network unlike anything that exists today.
Why We Invested
With the youngest and fastest growing population of any continent, Africa will have the largest workforce in the world with over 1 billion people requiring employment by 2035. Currently, Africa’s tertiary enrollment rate is roughly 8% and even graduates often find that their skills misaligned with employers’ needs. Existing university models will not meet the volume or skill requirements for this fugure. ALU (along with its sister organizations in the African Leadership Group: African Leadership Academy and ALX) aim to develop 3 million ethical and entrepreneurial leaders for Africa, and the world, by 2035.
[When our first-year ALU students] began their internships, they started receiving full-time job offers—after just eight months in school. We thought, If we have a program that is getting people job-ready, why don’t we offer [that curriculum] as a stand-alone? We’re offering it first in Kenya, to people who already have college degrees but lack employable skills. Over time we’ll start taking kids straight out of high school and expand to a multiyear program so that you [could] join ALX instead of going to college. Because we use coworking spaces rather than build our own campuses, we can open quickly and bring down the cost of education.
Fred Swaniker, Founder and CEO, African Leadership Group