Innovative youth-focused digital platform launches with the aim of unifying thousands of young people across South Africa
Leading research firm In On Africa (IOA) has launched a game-changing digital platform in response to the shift in awareness of the youth in South Africa and the need for these future leaders to become empowered to inform decision-making for a brighter future.
The ‘Voices Unite’ platform, which launched on the 10th of February, will bring together tens of thousands of youth aged 18-34 through a large-scale national research study focusing on a wide range of pertinent topics. These topics include the state of education, youth unemployment, the future of work, media and technology, infrastructure, healthcare and many others.
Voices Unite believes that a platform to unify and amplify the voices of the country’s youth – their views, ideas and dynamism – can inform true change in South Africa. Voices Unite aims to achieve the following core objectives:
- Unify and empower youth in South Africa to become meaningfully involved in the creation of a better South Africa.
- Facilitate more active, collaborative engagement between SA corporates, non-profits, education institutions and government.
- Inform data-driven decision-making today to ensure a brighter tomorrow for the entire country.
Youth who participate on the platform stand the chance to win a wide range of prizes, ranging from small incentives like data, event tickets and gift vouchers to larger prizes like tech gadgets, bursaries, internship positions and R50,000 cash.
According to Voices Unite Founder, Jonathan Mundell:
“IOA conceptualised Voices Unite in an effort to empower young people in South Africa, and ultimately across the African continent. Research that our firm has been doing for more than a decade has led us our belief that bringing youth and key stakeholders together – on a massive scale – to voice their ideas, perspectives and concerns, is essential to ensure effective decision-making.
Voices Unite aims not only to unify youth across South Africa, but to also bring relevant decision-makers to the same table, to collaborate in their efforts to address the various challenges that young people face. And for this collaboration to be guided by the views and insights of the youth, and for decisions to be made together with the youth – not on their behalf.”
Voices Unite has more than 60 confirmed partners, ranging from impact-driven youth development organisations (e.g. Allan Gray Orbis Foundation, SAB Foundation and Mr Price Foundation), through to large corporates like Sanlam, agencies such as the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), public and private universities and colleges, and various others partners.
For anyone interested in joining Voices Unite either as a youth participant (age range is 18-34) or a partner, more information is available at https://voicesunite.co.za.
The 2019 Africa Country Benchmark Report demonstrates how investment and trade are driving economic growth in Africa
The 2019 Africa Country Benchmark Report demonstrates how investment and trade are driving economic growth in Africa
By James Hall
Analysis in brief: Investment and trade go hand in hand with economic growth. The latest Africa Country Benchmark Report shows that these underpin African economies that perform the best in this year’s in-depth analysis of African country performance.
The exhaustive analysis of leading economic indicators – providing insight into the performances of African economies gauged by individual countries, both regionally and continentally – shows a strong link between economic growth and investment and trade. This connection, which is the basis for optimism over the African Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA), is established in the findings of the 2019 edition of the Africa Country Benchmark Report (ACBR).
What is the future of work in South Africa?
Examining the ‘Side Hustle’ economy
With the current challenges in economic climate South Africans are increasingly looking to broaden their horizons into additional work opportunities. The advent of working on the side is becoming increasingly prevalent, whether it’s driven by a need to generate additional income, or in search of more engaging and stimulating work. But what is the prevalence of side hustling, and what are the likely impacts on the broader economy?
IOA in collaboration with Henley Business School has looked to assess the nature and proliferation of work on the side in the context of South Africa. The research aimed to delve into various drivers of side-hustling, the hourly commitments to pursuing a side venture, as well as the views coming from both employees and employers on the topic.
In On Africa (IOA) Press Release – June 2019
In On Africa (IOA) and African Business Magazine announce partnership for the 2019 edition of the Africa Country Benchmark Report (ACBR)
In On Africa (IOA) and African Business Magazine, two leading African business information providers, have announced a partnership to produce and deliver the third edition of the Africa Country Benchmark Report (ACBR). The ACBR is a ground-breaking 500+ page publication, which provides a comprehensive assessment of 54 African countries, to deliver an all-encompassing picture of the African continent.
The report scores, ranks and insightfully assesses each African country holistically, as well as across ACBR’s four ‘quadrants’: Business, Economics, Politics and Society. Hundreds of infographics, more than 25,000 data points, and critical insights make the ACBR an essential tool to better understand Africa.
In describing the key objectives of the ACBR, Jonathan Mundell, CEO of In On Africa, states that: “Having a deep, all-encompassing understanding of African markets is essential for any business, institution, non-profit or government working on the continent. The ACBR aims to facilitate data-driven decision-making in Africa through the most comprehensive analysis of African countries, guiding our readers in their work on the continent and hopefully playing a central role in Africa’s development.”
Pedro Besugo, Business Development and Strategy at African Business adds, “There has never been a greater need to collate and analyse accurate data on Africa’s economic performance and the activities of the continent’s dynamic business community. African Business Magazine’s partnership with In On Africa to produce the Africa Country Benchmark Report will give readers access to a comprehensive data set for 54 countries, helping them to make better informed business decisions.”
The two organisations are finalising work on the 2019 edition, which has involved the re-engineering and expansion of the report’s assessment models. The report is scheduled to be launched at the end of July and there is currently a limited offer of early-bird access in addition to discounted rates for pre-orders of the report.
You can access the ACBR Info pack or pre-order the publication by clicking the links below:
About In On Africa
IOA was established in
South Africa in 2007 with the goal of becoming the definitive source of expert
research and analysis in Africa, focused on Africa. IOA’s mission is to guide
and inform decision-making to accelerate growth and development in Africa – connecting
Africa’s potential.
IOA has conducted research and advisory projects for private and public sector
clients across the entire African continent. These projects span key industries
and markets, and range from multi-country market attractiveness studies and
landscape assessments through to impact assessments, political risk analyses
and social research.
With headquarters in South Africa and consultants spread across the African
continent, IOA combines in-country presence and expertise with a holistic
understanding of our local and international clientele, making IOA a definitive
strategic partner in Africa.
Find out more here
About African Business
African Business is
published by IC Publications, a pan-African media and communication group with
over 50 years’ experience in publishing magazines, country supplements,
industry reports and market intelligence on Africa, reaching +2.6 million loyal
readers in more than 100 countries.
African Business and its award-winning team is widely respected for its
editorial excellence. We provide the all-important tools enabling you to
maintain a critical edge in a continent that is changing the world. Our special
reports profile a wide range of sectors and industries including Energy, Oil
and Gas, Aviation, Agriculture to name but a few.
With our vast experience in the field of communications, public relations and
contract publishing, IC Publications offers a one-stop shop solution to serve
all its clients’ needs both for those wishing to expand into Africa or for
African entities seeking international exposure.
Find out more here.
Assessment of South Africa’s SME landscape
Challenges, Opportunities, Risks and Next Steps
The South African government has prioritised small business development with the objective of creating 11 million jobs by 2030 to reduce the country’s chronic and high unemployment rate, and looking to SMEs to create these jobs and stimulate economic growth. This objective can only be achieved through the establishment of a supportive and enabling environment for the growth of small businesses.
SME SA in collaboration with In On Africa (IOA) has endeavored to assess the current environment in which SMEs operate through executing nationwide research on the sector. The aim of the research was to shed light on the challenges, opportunities and risks that need to be considered in the development of the SME sector to ensure the much needed growth and new employment opportunities in the country.
African stock exchanges hold the key to unlocking the continent’s economic growth and development
By Jacqueléne Coetzer
Analysis in brief: Due to increased economic growth and development, largely as a result of improved political stability, African exchanges offer great investment value for both African and foreign investors. Although there are still some difficulties to overcome to make African Exchanges more attractive to international investors, with the political will and dedicated efforts by governments and exchanges, these difficulties can be overcome.
Few people are aware of the business, economic and IT successes being achieved in Africa. Mauritius is poised to become Africa’s first high-income economy within the next 10 years and there are a number of other African countries that are working actively to achieve the same. The former-President of Botswana, Ian Khama, has famously remarked that Africa has the ability to solve its own problems and he was right.
Read more
Youth Exchange Programmes in Africa
Impact Assessment and Recommended Practices Guide
Youth volunteering and exchange programmes are gaining currency as a means of supporting African development goals, including addressing youth unemployment, contributing to economic and social development, building human capacity and strengthening regional identity. As such, there has been increased interest from international agencies, the African Union, development actors and civil society organisations in promoting volunteering and youth exchange in African countries.
In mid-2017 the African-German Youth Initiative (AGYI), in collaboration with IOA, embarked on a large-scale research study to assess the impact of such youth exchange programmes in Africa. The aim of the research was to inform future strategies for youth development on the continent, and guide progress in strengthening North-South and South-South cooperation through youth exchanges. This report presents the key findings and strategic recommendations from the research.
Mining Trends Report 2018
Skills Development and Training Trends in the Mining Sector
In early 2017, IOA and MTS partnered to develop a first-of-its-kind mining sector trend report. The aim of the initiative was to provide a comparative assessment of the progress made within the South African mining sector over the last 5 years, and note the progression that has taken place within the sector over this period.
The report provides insights into the emerging trends of various government and private sector initiatives by assessing sample data drawn from the MTS Insite platform over 2012 and 2017, and covering 45 mining (inclusive of core contractor) companies in the country.
IOA at a glance
Over the past decade, In On Africa (IOA) has positioned itself as one of the top research, intelligence and publishing firms in and focused exclusively on Africa. The company works with a wide array of clients across the African continent through its complementary divisions, service offerings and insight-driven products.
The infographic provides a snapshot of IOA – its core offerings, mission, values, vision and key differentiators.
The Future of African Food Security
Seeking solutions to nourish nations in the face of climatic and developmental uncertainty
IOA’s report, The Future of African Food Security, explores the current state of food security in light of the severe drought conditions and what impacts will result from these and the rise in global temperatures. Measures to improve food security are presented and discussed, including campaigns and programmes spearheaded by international organisations, reducing food waste and food loss, and the role sustainable farming practices can play in alleviating poverty and ensuring food security.
IOA consultants with expertise in food security and sustainability provide their input on these matters. What results from discussion throughout the report is a conclusion that a multi-pronged approach is needed to address issues of food security. Included in the requirements is land reform, balancing agriculture for export with agricultural production needed to feed local populations, and low-cost technologies to make farming viable at the family and community level.
Against a backdrop of climate change, African agriculture can be reformed to finally meet the nutritional needs of all African people, creating an optimistic future for the African continent.
Sustainability & Redefining African Development
Meeting targets or creating change?
IOA was privileged to participate in the 2016 Sustainability Summit at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) – a two-day event founded and organised by Blank Canvas International. The Sustainability Summit is a platform for trusted collaboration between business leaders and building of relationships towards more sustainable, agile business for Africa.
IOA and Blank Canvas International collaborated to develop the Sustainability & Redefining African Development report. The report assesses Africa’s efforts and progress toward ‘sustainable development’ and argues that what is needed is real, transformative change to unlock the incredible potential within Africa’s diverse communities, businesses, economies and cultures.