Youth Think Tank Initiative - Final Report

At The MasterCard Foundation, we believe that harnessing the passion and creativity of young people will help us to become more effective in the field of youth learning and engagement. This is why, in January 2012, The MasterCard Foundation (the Foundation) created a Youth Think Tank and tasked it with advising on and, ultimately, helping to shape our work in this sector. Nine young people - ranging in age from 19 to 24 and hailing from Ghana, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Kenya - have been engaged as part-time qualitative researchers in their respective communities, gathering insights that help connect our Foundation staff to the real-world experiences of young people living in Sub-Saharan Africa today. Over a six-month period, these talented young people interviewed 51 community and business leaders and 119 peers to explore the following question: "How can we increase youth employment (formal, informal, and self-employment) in growth sectors such as agri-business, green growth, information and communications technology (ICT), and financial services?" This overarching question included six sub-themes: gender, technology, financial institutions, institutional roles, key challenges, and opportunities for leverage.