Youth Development at IOA
IOA has become increasingly involved in research and development-related projects focusing on youth and education. Our overarching mission in these initiatives is to inform and accelerate advancement in Africa through youth empowerment, driven by quality research, knowledge dissemination, stakeholder engagement and skills development.
These youth-focused initiatives are core priorities for IOA in contributing meaningfully to development on the African continent.
- Voices Unite – Voices Unite aims to reach South Africa’s +1 million tertiary-level students through the country’s largest-ever youth-focused digital research study. We will survey a minimum of 30,000 youth, who will become the foundation of a digital youth platform to revolutionise youth development in South Africa, and ultimately across the African continent.
- The ALofT Project – The ALofT Project is a competitive, online-based youth development programme designed to cultivate future thought leaders by empowering African youths with a wide range of relevant knowledge, experience and skills. The project is being implemented in collaboration with Henley Business School Africa.
- Internship Programmes – In keeping with our long-standing commitment to the development of the African continent, our Research Assistant (RA) programme is always considering new applications. More than 200 students from across the world have participated in our internship programmes since 2008.
In addition to the above, IOA is collaborating with various partners on research and analytical work in education, youth unemployment, entrepreneurship and skills development. A few examples of our other youth-focused work are provided below:
South African Tertiary Education Research
IOA has been conducting ongoing research focused on opportunities within South Africa’s tertiary education sector. The research is now into is third year (2016-2018), and has included more than 100 in-depth interviews, web surveys with our client’s staff and students, and a nation-wide market research online community (MROC) quantitative study covering current, past and prospective university students.
East Africa Reputation and Expansion Assessment
IOA conducted research for an international school in East Africa focused on the perceptions and views of teachers, students and parents (customer and non-customer), competitor schools, government and other key informants. More than 2,000 respondents were surveyed in total and the analysis informed the school’s strategic and expansion plans for the next 5-10 years
Continent-Wide Market and Opportunity Research
IOA worked with a major international player in trade show and exhibition industry on research focused on opportunities within education and training in Africa. The project, which included primary and secondary research, served to inform the client on growth potential and related opportunities for them to enter the African market as an organiser of education and training-oriented events
Youth Exchange Programme Impact Assessment
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.
Contact IOA to find out more about these and other work that IOA is doing to empower and develop Africa’s youth, and to connect Africa’s potential.