We’re launching the Cross Border Jobs Startup Competition to identify and support bold startups shaping the future of labour mobility for Africans. This competition seeks to source bold ideas, spotlight existing solutions, and build momentum for safer, fairer, and scalable pathways for the African continent to move across borders
If you’re building a platform or service that helps African talent move, connect, and thrive across borders, we want to hear from you.

Africa’s labour market is expanding at an unprecedented pace. In Sub-Saharan Africa alone, 10–12 million young people are joining the labour market annually, yet only about 3 million formal sector jobs are being created. This gap leaves millions without viable and formal employment options at home. Meanwhile, regions such as Europe and the Gulf are grappling with acute labour shortages in industries and sectors like hospitality, construction and nursing among others. This mismatch creates both a challenge and an opportunity: African talent is eager to work, and the global demand is rising; but the systems to connect workers with the demand remain broken, risky and underinvested. And yet, when migration works, its impact is extraordinary. A single move from a low-income to a high-income country can increase incomes by 400 to over 1,000% within just one year. For an unskilled worker with limited prospects in Ghana, it would take over 40 years of domestic economic growth to match the income gains achieved through migration. The ripple effects also extend far beyond the individual: families benefit through better education, healthcare, housing, and stability, while communities gain from remittances and returning skills.