JA Africa and the Z Zurich Foundation are launching Génération Équitable, a three-year initiative developed with the aim of equipping 20,000 young people in Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Togo with entrepreneurship education, financial literacy, digital skills, and work-readiness training. Announced on the International Day of Peace, Génération Équitable positions youth economic inclusion as a practical pathway to peace.
Program Scope and Expected Outcomes
Génération Équitable targets 20,000 direct beneficiaries, with 5,000 expected to achieve transformative economic outcomes such as job placement, business launch, or significant income growth. The remaining 15,000 participants are anticipated to demonstrate measurable improvements in skills and confidence. Indirect benefits could reach an additional 100,000 household and community members, totaling 120,000 lives by 2029 through community impact and role-modeling effects.
Country-specific projections include 51,000 total lives impacted in Burkina Faso, 45,000 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and 24,000 in Togo. These figures reflect both direct training participants and the broader community influence of their projects and role-modeling activities.
Expanding Impact Through Collaborative Support and Long-Term Systems Change
The first phase of the JA Social Equity Program, launched in 2022, directly reached approximately 175,000 young people across nine African countries and contributed to broader positive impact for an estimated 612,000 lives. This phase demonstrated how hands-on learning and youth-led social enterprise can expand economic participation, while highlighting barriers unique to Francophone regions such as underdeveloped formal labor markets and language-specific learning gaps. Génération Équitable addresses these challenges through a localized, context-responsive model tailored to Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Togo.
The Z Zurich Foundation contributes more than financial support, providing skills-based volunteering from Zurich Insurance Group employees and collaborating with national Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) boards and ministries to drive systemic improvements. Partnerships with institutions like ANADEC in the Democratic Republic of the Congo aim to formalize curriculum adoption and establish sustainable local ecosystems that extend beyond the initiative’s duration. These efforts align with a focus on long-term systems change to ensure lasting community resilience and inclusion.
JA Africa has delivered over five million learning experiences across Africa in the past five years, demonstrating how practical investments in youth leadership can strengthen communities. The Social Equity Program exemplifies this approach, linking economic opportunity with community problem-solving. To ensure Génération Équitable’s sustainability, JA Africa is seeking additional funding partners to expand the initiative’s reach and impact.
Building on Prior Success and Localized Approach
Génération Équitable expands on the first phase of JA Africa’s Social Equity Program, which between 2023 and 2025 directly reached approximately 175,000 young people across nine African countries. This phase demonstrated how hands-on learning and youth-led social enterprise can expand economic participation. The new Francophone Africa phase addresses specific barriers identified in prior work, including thinner formal labor markets and language-specific learning gaps, through a context-responsive model tailored to local needs.
Delivery combines in-person leadership bootcamps with the JA Digital Entrepreneurship Education Program (JA DEEP), an eight-module, self-paced digital curriculum designed for flexible learning. Participants develop social-impact projects addressing community challenges, with support measures like on-site childcare for young mothers and assistive learning materials for people with disabilities to ensure inclusive access.
“Peace is strengthened when young people can see a future for themselves and have the tools to contribute to their communities,” said Simi Nwogugu, President & CEO, JA Africa. “Through Génération Équitable, we are helping young people in Burkina Faso, the DRC, and Togo turn ambition into livelihoods and local challenges into solutions.”
Adriana Poglia, Head of Enabling Social Equity at the Z Zurich Foundation, added, “Social equity is essential to building communities in which people can thrive together. This collaboration brings together funding, skills-based volunteering, and local collaboration to help young people access sustainable livelihoods, participate in their communities, and become agents of positive change across Burkina Faso, the DRC, and Togo.”
