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“What does a university owe the 91% of young people who never walk through its gates?” Sewit Ahderom, President and CEO, Mastercard Foundation Transformation is not a single intervention or model. It is a fundamental shift in how higher education relates to young people, economies, and communities, and in how institutions organize themselves to deliver on that purpose. ow.ly/Leec50ZR2rk

We're proud to announce a landmark endowment with the EARTH University Canada Foundation. Building on more than a decade of partnership, this commitment will empower the next generation of leaders to transform food systems, strengthen climate resilience, and drive sustainable development across Africa and beyond. Read more: ow.ly/YLil51027an

Naomi Eyana, known as “Mama wa Kuku,” is strengthening livelihoods and local food systems in Turkana County, Kenya. Through Kimmel Model Farm, she supplies improved Kienyeji chicks to refugee and host communities while mentoring young women to build livelihoods through agriculture. Learn more about our Pan-African programs: ow.ly/aGEG5101Mxs @WFP

Seven years of implementing the Young Africa Works strategy have shown that when employment systems are unstable, equipping individuals can only go so far. Expanding access to opportunity requires stronger systems and closer alignment with the institutions that shape them. Learn more: ow.ly/uXVV5100YPb

The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program is a global initiative to develop the next generation of transformative leaders. Please note: Our partners fully manage the recruitment and selection process. Learn more here: ow.ly/rwKi50XMPLo

How can higher education unlock opportunity at scale and advance economic progress? Meet the 2026 #AHEFTPrize recipients and discover how they are strengthening pathways from learning to livelihoods, expanding opportunities for young people, and driving innovation across Africa's higher education ecosystem: ow.ly/ikIJ50ZZKR5

Africa is home to the world’s fastest‑growing generation of young talent and a rare opportunity to shape the future of global work. Realizing this potential will depend on whether growth translates into jobs, informal work becomes more productive and secure, young women can fully participate in labour markets, and education systems equip youth with the relevant skills they need to thrive. Learn more: Read more in the 2026 Africa Youth Employment Outlook report: ow.ly/IJgR50ZZpN7

Young people are key to transforming Africa's future, and agriculture is central to this vision. Through our #YoungAfricaWorks strategy, we aim to unlock economic opportunities for young people in the agrifood systems, enabling them to create lasting impact in their communities. Learn more: mastercardfdn.org/en/what-we…

Sarah Ntale is one of 1.2 million adolescent girls and young women gaining entrepreneurship, employability, and life skills training through the Mastercard Foundation Accelerating Impact for Young Women (AIM) programme, in partnership with @BRACworld. Through AIM, young women are also accessing the tools and support needed to start and grow their own businesses.

Young farmers in Uganda are proving that collective action can drive change. Through the Markets for Youth Program, a partnership between @GOALUganda and the Mastercard Foundation, more than 400,000 young people have gained training and skills needed to access dignified and fulfilling work in agriculture and influence change in their communities. Learn more: ow.ly/TKhe50ZXkUh

For many young women and girls, the path to dignified and fulfilling work is shaped by barriers that extend far beyond skills. Real impact comes from designing for young women, accounting for the barriers they face and centring their needs at every step. Learn more: ow.ly/wyF850ZWEMt

"We have dreams. We want to be leaders." Meet Swarah, one of hundreds of thousands of girls and young women building confidence, life skills, and supportive networks through youth clubs. Through the Accelerating Impact for Young Women (AIM) programme, a partnership between the Mastercard Foundation and @BRACworld, we are working to reach 2 million girls and young women across seven African countries. #DayOfGirl

Who is preparing teachers for an AI-driven future? In the October edition of #EdTechMondaysAfrica, educators and experts from across Africa explored what it takes to equip educators to thrive in an AI-driven world. Watch it here: ow.ly/SPBz50ZVnT4

Quality education begins with quality educators. That means investing in well-trained, motivated teachers who’ll prepare young people for their future in the workforce. Learn more about our work in education here: ow.ly/JJHi50ZUxjQ

Leadership flourishes when young people have the support to grow on their own terms. Through the Mastercard Foundation Fellows Program, Fellows will embark on a two-year leadership journey rooted in culture, community, and connection. Learn more here: ow.ly/lIxB50ZU1h3

September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada, a day to honour residential school Survivors, their families, and the children who never made it home. It is also a time for reflection, learning, and recognition of the impacts that continue to be felt across generations. We partnered with Saelym DeGrandpré (@_taqqiq_) to create a piece that reflects on its meaning. "This piece shows the intergenerational connection we are rebuilding after residential schools were created to erase Indigenous cultures, languages, and traditions. Children were punished for speaking their languages, practicing their cultures, and simply being themselves. The effects of this are still felt today through loss of language, broken family connections, and the struggles that continue within our communities. But this piece also speaks to strength, survival, and resilience. It honours the people who lived through this, the families and communities who continue to heal, and the ways we continue to carry our cultures forward and share them with the next generation. To me, “Every Child Matters” means remembering that every child who was taken mattered, the ones who never came home mattered, and every child today matters. It is also about making sure the next generations grow up knowing who they are, where they come from, and that their culture is something to be proud of and carry forward.” #NTRC

The Mastercard Foundation Fellows Program is a new national initiative supporting the leadership, vision, and potential of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis youth across Canada. Grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing and being, the program creates space for young Indigenous leaders to strengthen their communities, shape institutions, and drive meaningful change across Canada and beyond. Learn more: ow.ly/57W250ZSlPl

On September 22–23, leaders from Africa's higher education institutions, the African Union, governments, financial institutions, industry partners, and young people came together in Accra, Ghana, for the inaugural Higher Education Transformation Convening, hosted by the Mastercard Foundation. Together, they explored what a relevant, high-quality, impactful, and sustainable higher education system should deliver for Africa’s young people. The Convening also marked the first Africa Higher Education for Transformation (AHEFT) Prize Award Ceremony, recognizing institutions advancing institution-wide transformation. Read more: ow.ly/Leec50ZR2rk #AHEFTPrize #HigherEducationTransformation

Starting soon📢 Join us for this historic moment as we honour excellence, innovation, and transformative leadership in higher education across Africa. Watch the live ceremony here: ow.ly/lteS50ZP5K5 #AHEFT #YoungAfricaWorks