Empowering over 5,000 youth in Africa to build their entrepreneurial and employability skills

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, January 2022: INJAZ Al-Arab, a member of Junior Achievement (JA) Worldwide, the world’s largest non-profit business education organization has announced the strengthening of its partnership with Boeing to include JA Africa. The partnership expansion, which falls under the Entrepreneurship & Work-readiness pillars, will empower over 5,000 youth in Africa, expanding into Tanzania, Ghana, Mauritania, Nigeria, Sudan, Madagascar and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Through this collaboration with Boeing, INJAZ Al-Arab and JA Africa will offer participants an interactive learning journey that includes different JA core programs such as Innovation Day Camps, Entrepreneurship Education, and Economic Success. In Tanzania, the partnership will focus on supporting 100 Tanzanian youth through Innovation Day Camps, while the program in Ghana, Madagascar and the Democratic Republic of Congo will focus on digital entrepreneurship education of 1,300 students. Both Mauritania and Sudan programs will empower youth to own their economic success, with 100 and 200 students targeted respectively. In Nigeria, the partnership will support the expansion of the Company Program which empowers secondary school students to build innovative businesses that solve problems within their communities.

Commenting on the partnership Akef Aqrabawi, President & CEO of INJAZ Al-Arab, said: “The way in which we work continues to transform the world around us, with rapid digitalization driving changes across the globe. In keeping with our commitment to inspire and empower the leaders of tomorrow, we are delighted to be expanding our long-term partnership with Boeing, strengthening the reach of our efforts, and driving change across Sub-Sharan Africa. We look forward to continuing to upskill the youth of today, providing the necessary programs and mentorship opportunities to students to ensure a stronger, successful future.”

Kuljit Ghata-Aura, president of Boeing Middle East, Turkey and Africa (META), said: “At Boeing, we are committed to developing and supporting the communities where our employees live and work. Through our partnership with INJAZ Al-Arab, we have reached thousands of talented young students across the Middle East and North Africa, helping them with the skills they need to be successful in the job market. Building on the success achieved in previous years, we now continue our journey of preparing the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators across the African continent, a strong, long-term growth market for commercial aviation.”

Simi Nwogugu, CEO of JA Africa, said, “We are delighted to be introduced into this long-standing partnership between Boeing and INJAZ. This partnership is valuable to our objective to expand our reach into new territories and harder-to-reach communities where youth are marginalized and deprived of economic opportunities. Leveraging the power of technology to educate our youth is the key to unlocking the new wave of innovators and job creators Africa needs.”

The partnership expansion follows a shared history of investment into the future of youth, which began in 2009, when Boeing joined INJAZ Al-Arab as the Entrepreneurship Pillar champion, boosting entrepreneurial skills across Arab youth. To date, programs have been rolled out across Algeria, Bahrain, Oman Egypt, Qatar, and Morocco, and include the INJAZ Al-Arab’s Innovation Camp, Company Program, Steer Your Career, STEM, and more.

The strategic partnership between INJAZ Al-Arab and Boeing has been directed towards empowering youth to reach their full potential, and for more than 12 years, this partnership has sought out growth, geographical expansion, and significant impact. The forward direction holds plenty of opportunities for branching into STEM-focused programs that respond to the current market needs and cater to future demands.

Ends

For any press queries please contact:
Dima Masri/ Chief Marketing Officer
dima@injaz-arabia.org

About INJAZ Al-Arab
Operating in 13 countries across the Middle East and North Africa, INJAZ Al-Arab is the only nonprofit organization in the region that harnesses the mentorship of business leaders to help inspire a culture of entrepreneurship and business innovation among Arab youth. Partnering with leading companies in the private sector, INJAZ Al-Arab equips Arab youth to drive the economies of the Arab World forward through training designed to inspire them to develop ambition, entrepreneurship, and professional skills. Named one of the top 100 NGOs in the world by NGO Advisor for six consecutive years INJAZ Al-Arab has influenced the lives of over 4 million students since its inception in 2004. INJAZ Al-Arab is a member of Junior Achievement; the world’s largest and fastest-growing youth business organization dedicated to educating students about workforce readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs.

About JA Africa
Junior Achievement (JA) Africa equips young Africans with the employability and entrepreneurial skillset and mindset they need to build thriving communities. Through the delivery of financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship training and in collaboration with schools, technical/ vocational centers and other partners, JA Africa works in 13 countries reaching 250,000 youth each year. Learn more about us at www.ja-africa.org.

The Boeing Company
As a leading global aerospace company, Boeing develops, manufactures and services commercial airplanes, defense products and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries. As a top U.S. exporter, the company leverages the talents of a global supplier base to advance economic opportunity, sustainability and community impact. Boeing’s diverse team is committed to innovating for the future and living the company’s core values of safety, quality and integrity.

Boeing’s relationship with the Middle East extends back to 1945. Since then, Boeing has established a number of offices across the region, first in Riyadh in 1982, then a dedicated Boeing Defense, Space and Security office in Abu Dhabi in 1999, a regional headquarters in Dubai in 2005, an office in Doha in 2010, and a new office in Kuwait City in 2021. In addition, Boeing has field service teams across the region and two distribution centers for airplane spare parts in Dubai.

For further information, please visit:
www.boeing.com
www.boeing-me.com
Follow us on @Boeing and @BoeingMidEast