Trace and the Mastercard Foundation Announces Free E-Learning App for Young Africans

Trace and the Mastercard Foundation have collaborated to launch Trace Academia, a free, interactive, mobile-based learning application designed to help 26 million young Africans gain market-relevant skills.

The Trace Academia App is available on Android and iOS and has been tested successfully in four African countries. Users can access courses in either English or French, with Portuguese courses coming soon.

The curriculum will include technical courses relevant to 15 different industries, such as energy, beauty, fashion, DIY, digital marketing, hospitality, creative arts, journalism, film, and technology, as well as more general courses such as entrepreneurship, public speaking, and personal wellness.

Each course on the app has been designed in collaboration with an industry-leading organization to ensure its relevance to employers and the job market in a way that gives users complete flexibility and control over their learning. Users can also learn at their own pace and in their own time, tailoring their journey to the emergent demands they face as they navigate the world of work. Second, the courses are highly practical and have been developed in collaboration with industry leaders to ensure they are industry-relevant.

“Our courses and certificates are developed in collaboration with influential players from industry, government, and the non-profit sector.” This free, user-friendly app aims to provide 26 million African youth with the skills they need to find or create work, as well as opportunities to jumpstart their careers, by 2026. “I am convinced that their current circumstances should never be an impediment to their success,” said Olivier Laouchez, Trace’s Co-Founder and Executive Chairman.

The new platform makes an important contribution to Africa’s youth employment agenda. As the world’s youngest continent, Africa is home to the workforce of the future, with nearly 65 percent of its population under the age of 25, and with the right skills and opportunities, young people will be the continent’s greatest drivers of transformation.

“The Mastercard Foundation is pleased to support this platform as part of our Young Africa Works strategy to provide 30 million young Africans with dignified and fulfilling work by 2030,” said Peter Materu, Chief Program Officer at the Mastercard Foundation.