Curbing unemployment in Africa: 14 young Africans develop Job Board

It was estimated in 2016, that the number of unemployed people actively looking for employment in sub-Saharan West Africa was 28 million and was estimated to rise to 29 million in 2017. Unemployment is a major problem in Africa and there have been efforts by governments to resolve this issue. However, it is not an easy task for only governments to tackle.

This is what motivated 14 young Africans to develop a job board to serve as an easy link between job seekers and employers in Africa. As most of them had one way or another, been affected directly or indirectly with the unemployment issue. This inspired them to view this as more of an obligation more than a task assigned to do.

In the bid to curb the unemployment rate that plagues Africa in recent years, these 14 exceptional young Africans, also called Team Exhort, were tasked to develop a job board. The name of this job board, which is to serve as an online recruiting tool for employers and an online job search avenue for job seekers in Africa, is WealthBankers Job Arena.

They conducted various surveys and research to learn about the needs of job seekers and employers. Their shift in focus to develop the Job Arena was as a result of the forecast that estimated unemployment in Africa to increase every year. They also realised that most job boards in Africa targeted only job seekers and employers in their home country. This influenced their decision in developing a job board that served every job seeker and employer in Africa.

Team Exhort was employed initially to work as expert writers for CyprusUni (a study in Europe Education consultancy). Their dedication and hard work in providing content for CyprusUni was recognised by WealthBankers, a member of Global Wealth Innovations network which comprises of about 20 companies including CyprusUni.

Realising the potential this team exhibit in carrying out their respective duties, they financed the development of WealthBankers Job Arena. This decision was made when the supervising manager, who was enthused about the prowess of the team stated:

“After just two weeks of training and adaptation, the team of 14, called Team Exhort, were already showing great promise, enthusiasm, and exceptionalism”.  Supervising Manager

This team is made up of individuals from diverse educational and cultural backgrounds with the youngest member, Jane Love, being 16 years of age. She possesses a wide range of talents and expertise and is one of the leaders of the group. Being the youngest in Team Exhort does not intimidate her and when asked the reason for the name, Team Exhort she replied:

“We wanted to change the African story and present Africa in the light of its budding youth who are full of potentials and yearn for such opportunities to show their capabilities. We wanted to be known as one who magnifies and encourages the large African youthful populace to achieve more and aim higher”  Jane Love

WealthBankers Job Arena was developed with Africa as the focus. It was developed primarily to link job seekers to employers in Africa, advertising job vacancies from several African nations. Team Exhort is optimistic that, this job tool will connect African countries and workforce. This is evidenced as it is already providing an avenue for expatriates seeking to work within Africa to easily access available jobs from across the continent.

WealthBankers Job Arena is currently operational in 19 English-speaking countries in Africa. These countries are; Botswana, Cameron, Ghana, Gambia, Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa, Saint Helena, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Zambia, Swaziland, Seychelles, Sierra Leone. The team is working hard to expand their services to include jobs all over Africa.

Testimonies from the numerous job site praise its user-friendly features that makes it easy for the average job seeker to find a job. The content in this job board is updated daily to provide job seekers a wide variety of jobs to choose from. Job seekers can upload their resumes online to be targeted by employers looking for their skills set.

To further serve as a platform that serves and empowers Africans, articles are written by Team Exhort that covers matters pertaining to the job market in Africa. In addition, there is a forum on the website that serves as an additional platform for job seekers and employers to interact with each other. It provides an excellent avenue to make genuine and long lasting connections which will in turn benefit Africa. Both parties can share and receive information on the forum.

These 14 exceptional young Africans have proven how innovative Africans can be when they come together to work on a common goal. This is shown in their development of a job board that will serve Africans today and in its ever glorious future.