One Campaign opens entry in $100, 000 SDGs 2022 awards

ONE Campaign, a global organisation campaigning to end extreme poverty and preventable disease by 2030, has called for entry in the $100,000 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) focused ONE Africa awards 2022.

The $100, 000 prize will focus on African ingenuity in rewarding visionary organisations committed to rebuilding a resilient Africa by generating opportunities that will assist in reshaping the continent’s economy and prepare its youth to thrive in an evolving world.

Serah Makka, interim Africa executive director, engagement and mobilisation, ONE Campaign, stated that Africa is demographically the world’s youngest continent. According to her, the call for applications is expected to run till Friday, 30 September. She disclosed further that Africa-led and Africa-driven organisations have the opportunity to submit their applications for consideration, and urged interested organisations to visit the campaign site on one.org/africaaward for details on the ONE Africa award and full scoring criteria for applicants.

“By 2030, one-fifth of the global labour force and nearly one-third of the global youth labour force will be from this region. While 10 to 12 million youth enter the workforce each year, only three million formal jobs are created. The pandemic has exerted extraordinary social, economic and health challenges on African countries and has exacerbated the social inequalities impacting the most vulnerable,” Makka stated.

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Now in its 12th edition, the ONE Africa award honours African organisations dedicated to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and providing the world with a blueprint for building a better future. The award recognizes, incentivises and provides a platform to showcase the exceptional work of organisations founded by Africans and based in Africa.

According to her, before the pandemic, the lack of decent jobs and opportunities was already a pressing issue in Africa but the socio-economic ramifications of the Covid-19 pandemic are hitting young people in the continent rapidly and the consequences are harsh.  She stated that young Africans are confronted with various aftershocks, including disruptions to education, lack of access to training and income losses due to economic pressures and are presented with even greater difficulties in finding good quality jobs.

“Inspired by our #JobsNowAfrica Campaign which advocates for the creation of 15 million decent jobs annually in Africa by 2025, this year the award will be conferred to an organisation that provides opportunities for young Africans to gain the skills and experience needed, through excellent job and educational opportunities that raise their aspirations and professional networks,” Makka stated.