Lowase Truecaller Leadership Fellows 2022 (Africa)

AFRICA'S PROBLEM

Since 2017, Mo Ibrahim has warned about Africa being at a tipping point and at risk of failing its youth, particularly in areas, such as education, where the plans are not keeping up with the needs of its bulging youth population (MoIF, 2021). In 2020, Africa’s population under 35 represents almost a billion people, amounting to 22.7% of the world’s total youth population, while it is expected to grow by over 40% before 2030, with more than double in 2055 where one half world's youth will be from Africa, and even continue to grow by over 180% in 2100, thereby becoming equivalent to twice Europe’s entire population (MoIF, 2021). This keeps African nations doubly challenged in their efforts to assure universal high quality education and youth employment, just as the Covid-19 pandemic wipes out decades of sustainable inclusive economic progress made ahead of its 2063 Agenda. Across the region, employers identify inadequately skilled workers as a major constraint to their businesses, even as workers face an employer mismatch between their skills or educational qualifications, and what is required to perform the job (MoIF, 2021). Another important measure of skills available to employers is the share of graduates trained in science, technology, engineering, and management (STEM); however, less than 20 percent of them had enrolled in STEM programs of African colleges from 2010 to 2018, which are crucial for the labor market of today and the future (AfDB, 2020). Though higher education enrollment rates has increased from 3 to 20 percent in Central Africa, 2 to 9 percent in East Africa, 26 to 29 percent in North Africa, 4 to 18 percent in Southern Africa, and 6 to 12 percent in West Africa, between 2000 and 2016; however it is still relatively lower than rest of the world (AfDB, 2020). Millions of Africa's young are unable to access affordable quality higher education, while one third of them drop out of school, due to monetary poverty, human capital deprivations, violence in remote schools, conflicts in fragile states, poor quality of educational infrastructure, and perception of low returns to education, even just as consumer inflation and youth unemployment hits harder after the 2020/21 pandemic.

THE OPPORTUNITY

If youth are provided with sufficient education, training and jobs, then the growth in their numbers could be highly beneficial for development; but if instead they are unemployed or underemployed across value chains, the growing number of youth will pose a challenge to achieving sustainable development, and could prove socially or politically destabilizing as well (MoIF, 2021). Despite Africa’s solid growth performance, only about a third of countries achieved inclusive growth, reducing both poverty and inequality; thus fostering more inclusive growth would also require building Africa’s human capital and creating more jobs in high-productivity sectors (AfDB, 2020). To do so, nations should seek to integrate education infrastructure financing and skill development strategies into their economic development plans, while upgrading and expanding education and training programs to strengthen worker employability and economic competitiveness (AfDB, 2020). To address inequality in education, the 2020 African Outlook appeals for progressive universalism in education spending - setting high priorities for the poor and disadvantaged and for basic education, where social returns are highest (AfDB, 2021). With a vision of reversing this trend where African nations have been programmed to fail its young population across value chains, answers must be found and funded, this is exactly why we introduce the social and human capital development programme known as Lowase. We are an indigenous global talent opportunity for growing Africa by African youths, with the vision of a better working nation. We shall provide affordable access to professional training, brand development, graduate scholarship, corporate mentorship, leadership coaching and management practice to help underserved African young talents practice better and do business in Science, Technology, Engineering and Management fields. We follow a niche open work model that helps us achieve four strategic objectives including: to build human capital, list qualified talents, hire top professionals and make revenue streams for a better working nation. This will not only help our youths acquire the skills to practice careers, manage firms, found startups and lead governments better, but help growing fragile nations compete sustainably across value chains, since no nation can rise above the quality of human capital.

OUR DELIVERABLES

Lowase Truecaller Leadership Fellows 2022 is a human capital solution of the Lowase Better Working Nation Programme and is hosted by Lowase Management Consulting, with support from the LMC School of Practice, listed firms or colleges, and fellowship partners.

LOWASE TRUECALLER LEADERSHIP FELLOWS (1)

This is the induction stage of the Lowase Better Working Nation Fellowship Programme to help train, brand and place young African talents in the STEM fields over a period of 4 weeks. The applicants will pursue a leadership course in any of these specialty areas: Marketing Analyst, Advertising Lead, Ecommerce Lead, Financial Analyst, Fintech Engineer, UI/UX Designer, Technical Writer, Project Manager, Program Manager, Board Secretary, Investor Relations Lead, or External Relations Lead. The scholars will benefit from the following deliverables:

1 - Professional Training: The objective is to help young talents get certified and qualified in their chosen fields of business or practice.

2 - Brand Development: The objective is to help young talents make, list and grow their personal brand as a sought for, best selling expert.

3 - Graduate Placements: The objective is to help young talents craft and pitch their experience with graduate hiring colleges and companies.

LOWASE TRUECALLER LEADERSHIP FELLOWS (2)

This is the employer stage of the Lowase Better Working Nation Fellowship Programme to help coach, mentor and retain young African talents in STEM fields over a period of 6 months. The applicants will pursue a fellowship residency domiciled in partner firms of participating African countries, including: Simeon Ademola Abioye Fellowship, Matthew Ebafua Okubo Fellowship, Matthias Goddey Okubo Fellowship, Chimene Emejuru Fellowship, and others to be announced later. The fellows will benefit from the following deliverables:

1 - Leadership Coaching: The objective is to help young talents increase performance on the job to their peak, without undermining quality.

2 - Corporate Mentorship: The objective is to help young talents get mentored by top industry founders and directors in business or practice.

3 - Management Practice: The objective is to help young talents to discover, pursue, monetize and fulfill their true professional calling.

TARGET AUDIENCE

PHASE 1: Nigeria and West African Region

Lowase will target 36000 Nigerians, in the 1st instance, and is composed of 36 States, a Federal Capital Territory, and 774 Local Government Areas. It had a total population of 211.4 million people in 2021 with a 2.6% average annual rate of population change from 2015 to 2020 (UNFPA, 2021). More than 43% of them are aged 0-14 years, 23% are aged 10-19 years, and 32% are aged 10-24 years (UNFPA, 2021). Nigeria’s largest youth population in the West African region provides us an opportunity to help create firms and jobs of the future.

PHASE 2 - Ethiopia and East Africa Region

Lowase will target 26000 Ethiopians, in the 2nd instance, and is composed of 11 regional states and 2 chartered cities such as Addis Ababa & Dire Dawa. It had a total population of 117.9 million people in 2021 with a 2.6% average annual rate of population change from 2015 to 2020 (UNFPA, 2021). More than 39.6% of them are aged 0-14 years, 23.1% are aged 10-19 years, and 33.3% are aged 10-24 years (UNFPA, 2021). Ethiopia's largest youth population in the East African region provides an opportunity to help create firms and jobs of the future.

PHASE 3 - Egypt and North African Region

Lowase will target 27000 Egyptians, in the 3rd instance, and is composed of 27 states, each having a governor, a capital and at least one city. It had a total population of 104.3 million people in 2021 with a 2.0% average annual rate of population change from 2015 to 2020 (UNFPA, 2021). More than 33.8% of them are aged 0-14 years, 18.2% are aged 10-19 years, and 26.3% are aged 10-24 years (UNFPA, 2021). Egypt's largest youth population in the North African region provides an opportunity to help create firms and jobs of the future.

PHASE 4 - South Africa and South African Region

Lowase will target 22000 South Africans, in the 4th instance, with 9 provinces such as Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West and Northern Cape. It had a total population of 60 million people in 2021 with a 1.4% average annual rate of population change from 2015 to 2020 (UNFPA, 2021). More than 28.6% of them are aged 0-14 years, 17.7% are aged 10-19 years, and 25.8% are aged 10-24 years (UNFPA, 2021). South Africa's largest youth population in its region provides us an opportunity to help create firms and jobs of the future.

YOUR APPLICATION

The eligibility clause for this programme is as follows:

1) You are an African citizen or of black descent resident or working in the diaspora, with evidence of citizenship or residency status approved by a government authority.

2) You are an African graduate with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5/4.0 or 3.0/5.0, and have been conferred a degree or diploma in any field from 2011 to 2020.

3) You are an African young person of age 21 to 35 years old, born not earlier than the year 1985, and hold a government birth certificate or declaration of age by the court of law.

4) You are an alumni of the National Youth Service Corps or any other public service programme in your country of origin, and have been awarded a discharge certificate.

The onboarding clause for this programme is as follows:

1) Qualified applicants will be invited for submit applicant documents and face applicant screening to get an admission decision to join the May 2022 Cohort, while spillover applicants get waitlisted (TBA).

2) Admitted candidates should be wholly eligible for this hybrid fellowship before applying and should be always committed to fulfilling the Stage 1 and Stage 2 fellow responsibilities binding them.

3) Course discounts or tuition waivers are made at the sole discretion of the awarding institution, thus Lowase Management Consulting will not be held accountable for your decisions to follow any STEM learning pathway.

4) Member fees or fellow stipends are made at the sole discretion of awarding institution, thus Lowase Management Consulting will not be held accountable for your decisions to join any STEM practicing contract.

APPLICANT SUBMISSIONS:

Fill our LinkedIn Jobs or Google Forms to apply

APPLICATION DEADLINE:

30th April 2022 (11:59 PM West African Time)

APPLICATION ENQUIRES:

Wonders Pibowei, Lowase Management Consulting

LMC HQ Secretariat - [email protected]