August 2025 wasn’t just another date on the calendar—it was a milestone for African youth entrepreneurship. When Anzisha convened its first FAST Partners Best Practice Workshop in Johannesburg, it brought together coaches, program alumni, and partners like Inkomoko, CcHub, and MDF. More than a workshop, it was a signal: Africa’s youth are not just participants in the economy—they are redesigning it.
The Mastercard Foundation Fund for Alumni Start-Ups in Transition (FAST) is a multi-partner initiative designed to back young African entrepreneurs with funding and tailored support. Delivered in collaboration with CCHub Nigeria, MDF Global, Concree, Scale Up, Savannah Innovations Lab, the Center for Enterprising Organisations, Inkomoko, and African Leadership Academy (ALA), FAST provides venture funding alongside coaching and business development resources.
Within this ecosystem, Anzisha runs the Idea and Build programs, guiding entrepreneurs through the early stages of testing their ideas and scaling their ventures. These programs, funded by FAST, give graduates of ALA, Anzisha, YALI, and Mastercard Foundation Scholars programs a clear pathway from bold concept to sustainable enterprise.
More than $1 million in grants has already been disbursed to Anzisha Idea and Build entrepreneurs this year alone. “We’re not just supporting young Africans—our programs empower them,” said Dave Tait, Anzisha Director. “When partnered with Mastercard Foundation, that power gains wings.”
This partnership reflects a broader belief: that dignified, fulfilling work can be created by investing early in entrepreneurs who dare to employ others.
The Two-Step Engine: Idea and Build
The Idea Program is where sparks become fire. Over three months, participants receive seed funding of up to $5,000, alongside training in purpose-driven leadership, business modelling, MVP design, and sales. In just one year, 77 young people graduated from Idea, each building tangible products that reached real markets.
The Build Program then takes these ventures further. This six-month experience provides $10,000–$15,000 in funding, one-on-one coaching, and modules on resilience, financial sustainability, and customer growth. The numbers speak for themselves: Build graduates have created an average of 7.5 jobs each, proving that young founders are employers-in-the-making, not job seekers.
“With Idea, we see confidence bloom. In Build, we see resilience sharpen,” said Nkrumah, Anzisha’s Head Coach. “This isn’t theory—it’s change in motion.”
Why the August Workshop Mattered
The August 2025 workshop brought together three FAST partner organisations and 14 participants to exchange lessons, confront challenges, and sketch the future.
For Richard Yeboah, Managing Director at MDF Global, collaboration was the standout theme. “Entrepreneurship cannot be done in silos. Ecosystem players must work together if we want sustainable businesses on the continent. Partnerships like FAST are proof that we don’t need to reinvent the wheel—we need to complement one another.”
Rohin O. Onyango, PhD, Regional Director for Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning at Inkomoko, agreed. “Data sits at the center of our work. But it’s not just about numbers—it’s about voices. Too often, we only capture quantitative outcomes. What we’re learning here is how to mix those with the real stories of entrepreneurs, which tell us not just if something worked, but why.”
By including FAST partners in these conversations, Anzisha underscored its belief that entrepreneurship ecosystems thrive only when actors collaborate, not compete. Peer learning, shared playbooks, and cross-regional insights mean that what works in Malawi can inspire change in Morocco or Mozambique.
The Blueprint for Africa’s Future
The FAST Workshop, hosted by Anzisha, showed what’s possible when funding, training, mentorship, and community align. It also revealed what’s next: a continent where job creators outnumber job seekers, and where youth entrepreneurship is a respected career path.
As Richard framed it: “The real shift we’re seeing is that entrepreneurship is becoming a choice, not just a necessity.”
FAST is more than just a fund. Idea and Build are more than just programs. It’s a blueprint—a model of how Africa can grow its own future by trusting the ingenuity of its youngest leaders. And as Anzisha continues to refine and scale this work, one message is clear: Africa’s next wave of prosperity is already here, and it’s young, ambitious, and unstoppable.
Looking Ahead
The journey doesn’t stop here. On 20 October 2025, the momentum continues at the FAST Partner Convening, held alongside the Mastercard Foundation Baobab Summit in Nairobi.
This year’s theme—“Baobab Rising: Nurturing the Future through Africa’s Youth”—captures both the resilience and the promise of a generation set to shape Africa’s future. With young Africans projected to make up 42% of the global youth population by 2030, the urgency to equip them with the skills, tools, and platforms to lead has never been greater.
The Baobab Summit will bring together Scholars, alumni, and partners to connect, co-create, and celebrate youth leadership, while the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Partners Convening will reaffirm our shared commitment to building ecosystems that help young entrepreneurs thrive.
It’s not just a conference season—it’s a call to action. Together, we’re nurturing today’s leaders to shape tomorrow’s Africa.
