People, Skills, and Digital Innovation for Jobs in Africa

Join us for a conversation on skills shaping Africa’s jobs future, policies needed to build them, and what the AI revolution means for young people and workers today.

Africa faces a pressing challenge. By 2050, the continent’s working-age population will more than double, requiring the creation of nearly 28 million jobs every year. Yet current trends fall far short.

At the same time, artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming how people learn, work, and live—creating new opportunities to boost productivity, expand access to knowledge, generate jobs, and open new markets. But the recent World Bank Group report “Digital Progress and Trends Report 2025: Strengthening AI Foundations” warns that many low- and middle-income countries face major barriers to adopting AI at scale, risking deeper inequality without the right investments.

However, a promising trend is emerging with many countries turning to “Small AI”— affordable, accessible applications that run on everyday devices and improving development outcomes in areas such as agriculture, health, and education.

To tap into this immense potential, Africa’s young people need to be equipped with the digital and analytical skills that fast-changing labor markets increasingly demand—skills essential for both today’s jobs and tomorrow’s opportunities. 

Join us for a conversation on the skills shaping Africa’s jobs future, the policies needed to build them, and what the fast-moving AI revolution means for young people and workers today.

The conversation is hosted in partnership with the African Center for Economic Transformation

Speakers

Tiara Pathon

National AI Skills Director – South Africa, Microsoft Elevate

With over 20 years in Human Resources, Tiara brings deep insight into workforce development and the challenges young people face entering the job market. Before joining Microsoft, she led Amazon Web Services’ first International Skills Centre in Cape Town, driving digital and cloud skills across the EMEA region. She’s been recognized as one of Africa’s Inspiring 50 Women in STEM and won the 2024 Women in Tech Most Impactful Initiative in Africa award—testament to her leadership and commitment to inclusive digital transformation.

Monica Caminiti

Senior Director, Skills to Succeed Program, Save the Children

Monica Caminiti is the Sr. Director of Save the Children’s Skills to Succeed (S2S) Program. S2S operates in seven countries to help adolescents and youth who experience the most marginalization gain the skills, opportunities and networks they need to succeed in education, or obtain and retain decent employment. Since 2023, the S2S program is championing youth-led green innovation in seven countries, with a focus on including women, youth with disabilities and LGTBQ+ identifying youth. Monica is passionate about helping young people pursue their dreams, young women’s economic empowerment, and the inclusion of young people with disabilities. She believes that young people are the most powerful force for environmental and social change if given the space and support they need to bring their ideas to life.

Martin De Simone

Senior Economist, Education, Eastern & Southern Africa, World Bank Group

Martín E. De Simone is a Senior Economist at the World Bank, working on education and skills across Eastern and Southern Africa. His portfolio spans basic education, skills development, youth at risk, and the financing and governance of education systems. He currently leads efforts to design and deploy AI-enabled solutions to strengthen human capital outcomes across Sub-Saharan Africa. Most recently, he pioneered a rigorously evaluated AI tutoring initiative in Nigeria that delivered large learning gains—equivalent to roughly two years of progress in six weeks—validated through a randomized controlled trial. Martín holds a Master of Public Affairs in International Development from Princeton University.

Mona Iddrisu

Head, Youth Employment and Skills, African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET)

Mona Iddrisu is Head of Youth Employment and Skills at ACET. She’s an international development expert and economist with extensive work experience in research and generating evidence-based learning across various sectors relevant to youth, including youth employment and job creation, entrepreneurship, education and 21st-century skills development, youth governance, agriculture, and youth in technology. She has an MSc in Development Economics from the University of Manchester and an MPhil in Evidence-based Social Policy from the University of Oxford.

Mapalo Lukashi

Data & Artificial Intelligence Lead, BongoHiv

Mapalo Lukashi is the Head of the BongoHive AI Lab and Data & AI Lead at BongoHive, where he drives the design, deployment, and scaling of data-driven and artificial intelligence solutions across entrepreneurship, innovation, and corporate ecosystems. He leads strategic AI initiatives focused on applied research, AI literacy, AI model design and responsible adoption, and plays a central role in building tools and frameworks that enable startups, institutions, and development partners to leverage data and AI for measurable impact including the AI Lab publicly available "AI readiness tool" and "AI Return on Investments (ROI)" tools. With extensive experience spanning AI strategy, analytics, and ecosystem development, Mapalo has contributed to high-profile collaborations with local and international partners, supported evidence-based decision-making, and advanced BongoHive’s ambition to position Zambia at the forefront of inclusive and context-relevant AI innovation in Africa. Some notable publications include the State of AI in Zambia 2024 Report, and The Zambian AI Local Languages Ecosystem Report.

Branice Kazira

Co - Founder & Country Lead, Rwanda of Signvrse

Branice is the is the Co - Founder & Country Lead, Rwanda of Signvrse, Africa’s leading assistive technology social enterprise leveraging AI, 3D avatars, and motion capture to deliver real-time sign language translation. She is a Software Engineer, Mastercard Foundation Scholar, African Leadership University (ALU),ALX Ventures alumni, UNICEF Summit of OUR Future Spotlighted Innovator and a Microsoft Top 3 Global Imagine Cup Awardee. Her interests lie at the intersection of Software Engineering and Entrepreneurial Leadership, with a strong focus on social impact, gender equity, and health accessibility. Branice was recently crowned Ms. Geek Africa 2025 by in recognition of her excellence in engineering and her commitment to disability inclusion. She is a leading advocate for women in STEM and globally recognized for developing AI-powered technologies that enable Deaf individuals to independently access education and public services.