Jobs and Entrepreneurship in Africa Portfolio

Textile industry employer and employees looking at laptop having a production meeting
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Our Jobs and Entrepreneurship in Africa (JEA) Portfolio aims to increase SME productivity and drive job creation in sub-Saharan Africa by ensuring that policies and programmes are informed by scientific evidence.

Overview

Africa will experience transformative population growth from approximately 1.4 billion today to 3.3 billion in 2075. Job creation and access to decent work pose immense challenges. Currently, 85 percent of employment in sub-Saharan Africa is informal, and 82 percent of tertiary educated young Africans are in informal employment.

Growth-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises are important drivers of job creation and employment. Private sector development and small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) growth present important pathways for investors, policymakers, and practitioners to use evidence to boost job creation in the region. 

To support these impact aims, J-PAL Africa is establishing Jobs and Entrepreneurship in Africa, a portfolio of research and partnerships focused on developing evidence-based solutions for firm growth, using evidence to influence practice, and building pathways to scale.

Scientific Advisor

Jonas Hjort headshot

Jonas Hjort is the Scientific Advisor for our Jobs and Entrepreneurship in Africa Portfolio. He is a Professor of Economics at University College London and his research studies ways to increase production among firms and public-sector organizations in lower- and middle-income countries. His research spans across sub-Saharan Africa, including in Liberia and Uganda. We are delighted to have the opportunity to draw on his expert scientific insights and thought leadership, in close partnership with J-PAL Africa’s Scientific Directors.

Portfolio team

 

The seed funding for this portfolio was donated by the Kuo Sharper Foundation.

Evidence and other resources

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