Roselyne is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, with a diverse educational background in Management, Business Ethics and Accounting. She has experience that spans over twelve years in research, academia, and management consulting. She has a passion for teaching and research and has also supervised Master’s students in Business Administration. Her research interests are in the areas of Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability and Ethics. Broadly, she seeks to understand the landscape for social investments in an African context.
This literature review examines the role of the non-profit sector in Tanzania and its contribution to youth employment. It explores how non-profit organisations are conceptualised and classified within national economic frameworks and assesses whether their contributions to employment are recognised. While these organisations support service delivery and community development their role in employment generation remains unexamined in official labour statistics. Employment data do not distinguish non-profit organisations as a separate sector and this makes it difficult to assess their impact on the labour market. The review analyses youth employment patterns and finds that young people form a large segment of the working-age population but often face informal and unstable work conditions, including within the non-profit sector. Evidence from government reports and sector studies suggests that non-profit organisations create employment opportunities but these remain small in scale and financially uncertain. Career progression in the sector is also limited. The absence of systematic data on youth employment in non-profit organisations contributes to their exclusion from national employment policies. Addressing this gap is necessary to establish the sector’s full potential in supporting youth employment and economic development.
Youth unemployment is a significant challenge in Uganda, particularly among marginalised youth. While formal employment remains limited, many young people turn to the informal sector for livelihoods. This literature review explores the contributions of non-profit organisations (NPOs)—commonly referred to as NGOs in Uganda—to the creation of dignified and fulfilling work for youth. The study employs a comprehensive desktop review of existing literature, including academic articles, government and NGO reports, and news sources, to assess the economic role of NPOs in youth employment. It finds that NPOs contribute both directly—through job creation within their organisations—and indirectly, by supporting youth-focused initiatives such as incubators, training programmes, and access to microcredit. Despite their contributions, the review highlights a significant data gap regarding the quantity, quality, and sustainability of jobs created by the non-profit sector. It recommends using mixed-methods research and the ILO’s decent work framework to better assess the impact of NPOs on youth employment in Uganda. The review also identifies agriculture, services, and digital technology as key areas for intervention and scaling dignified work opportunities.
This literature review explores the contributions of the non-profit sector (NPOs) to economic development and the creation of dignified and fulfilling work for young people in Senegal. With youth unemployment remaining a critical challenge—especially among women and rural populations the study examines how Senegal’s dense and heterogeneous NPO ecosystem can address this issue. The research draws on a comprehensive review of literature and interviews, classifying NPOs into five categories: NGOs, foundations, associations, cooperatives, and economic interest groups. Although data on economic impact remain limited, NPOs play a vital role in promoting vocational training, entrepreneurship, and social inclusion. The review also highlights the importance of formalising the informal sector, harnessing digital transformation, and strengthening policy advocacy. It identifies key gaps in data and institutional capacity and proposes strategies for increasing the sector’s impact on job creation, particularly for marginalized youth. Ultimately, the paper underscores the potential of NPOs as crucial actors in shaping Senegal’s youth employment landscape, while calling for improved measurement frameworks and cross-sector collaboration.
This literature review examines the role of the non-profit sector in promoting dignified and fulfilling work for young people in Mozambique. Despite sustained economic growth, Mozambique continues to experience high levels of youth unemployment, underemployment, and informality, with over 95% of the labor force in the informal sector. The review highlights the structural challenges facing Mozambican youth, including limited access to quality education, skills mismatch, gender disparities, and restricted economic opportunities—especially for women and rural populations. It traces the evolution of the non-profit sector from colonial and post-socialist roots to its current configuration dominated by religious associations and advocacy groups. The paper also explores the phenomenon of “waithood,” a prolonged period of social and economic suspension experienced by many young people. It emphasizes the indirect and direct contributions of NPOs to youth employment, particularly through skills development, vocational training, internships, and job placements. The review concludes by identifying key knowledge gaps, notably the limited focus on NPOs’ economic contributions, and recommends further field research and strategic policy support to strengthen the sector’s role in addressing youth employment challenges.
Non-profit organisations (NPOs) have become essential change agents in a world where youth unemployment is on the rise and meaningful and sustainable employment is desperately needed, particularly in Ghana, where youth unemployment remains one of the highest in Africa. As a result, the purpose of this literature review is to provide insights into the role of NPOs in creating dignified and fulfilling jobs for the youth in Ghana. To achieve this, a thorough analysis of the literature was conducted to identify the contributions of the non-profit sector in creating jobs for the youth. The search period spans from 1992 to 2023. Additionally, content analysis of international organisations, NPOs, and government reports were examined to provide further insight into the role of NPOs in job creation for the youth. In so doing, the review identifies the gaps in existing literature, which provides a basis for future research. The literature suggests that NPOs have played a major role in empowering youth in Ghana through entrepreneurial, vocational, educational, agricultural and skill-development initiatives. These programmes provide job opportunities for the youth and also give them the skills and information needed to acquire dignified and fulfilling jobs. In addition, NPOs in Ghana collaborate with international development partners, local philanthropies, and government agencies to secure funding and support to implement youth-focused employment programmes. Despite these efforts, the review of existing literature shows that the impact of NPOs in creating dignified jobs for the youth has yet to be substantially recognised. This literature review provides insights into pockets of opportunities for the non-profit sector to create dignified and fulfilling jobs for the youth in Ghana. Also, it identifies emerging knowledge gaps in the literature that should be the focus of future research.
Conducted under the Mastercard Foundation–CAPSI partnership, the study investigates the extent to which non-profits contribute to the creation of dignified and fulfilling jobs for youth, especially those at the margins. Using a conceptual framework that defines the nonprofit sector and “dignified and fulfilling work,” the review draws from published and grey literature, with a focus on NGOs as a subset of CSOs. It finds that while the sector employs a small percentage of the labor force (around 1.2%), it significantly impacts youth livelihoods through both direct employment and indirect contributions such as skills development, training, and advocacy. Despite limitations such as project-based sustainability and insufficient economic data, the sector plays a crucial role in addressing structural inequalities and providing alternatives where state support is lacking. The report concludes that NGOs in Zimbabwe are essential actors in the youth employment ecosystem, offering both economic opportunities and a voice in policy processes, though more systematic impact measurement is needed.
This literature review examines the role of the non-profit sector in promoting youth employment and facilitating dignified and fulfilling work in Zambia. Against the backdrop of high youth unemployment, limited educational opportunities, and the dominance of informal labor, the study explores how civil society organizations—including NGOs, CBOs, and INGOs—contribute to economic inclusion. Drawing on academic literature, grey sources, and national statistics, the review investigates the sector’s impact through initiatives in education, skills development, entrepreneurship, and policy advocacy. It highlights gaps in empirical data on the economic contributions of non-profits, especially regarding their employment outcomes for marginalized youth. The study adopts the International Classification of Non-profit Organizations (ICNPO) to categorize sub-sectoral activity and underscores the need for more inclusive research, cohesive policy frameworks, and targeted interventions. The findings emphasize the potential of non-profits as strategic partners in addressing youth unemployment and fostering sustainable livelihoods in Zambia.
The 3rd African Philanthropy Conference was hosted with the objective of addressing system changes that are required in philanthropy in the new normal-especially as these changes relate to the continent’s institutions, policies and practices.
This landmark report consolidates findings from literature reviews conducted across all 17 participating countries. It identifies key trends, persistent barriers and policy opportunities — and amplifies the voices of young people in shaping their own economic futures. This is the first study of its kind to examine this theme comprehensively across the African continent.
Emerging themes from the 2nd African philanthropy conference
Conference proceedings report
The beginning of March 2020 saw the dawn of the COVID19 pandemic which hit the shores of most countries worldwide bringing with it unprecedented changes to life as we know it. Philanthropy, in all its various forms, engaged stakeholders from the private, public, non-profit, and religious sectors. It nimbly cut across geographies, social classes, and demographic groups in a way that governments and businesses often could not to help manage the impact of the pandemic. Traditionally, the impetus for giving is clear: donors identify rampant need in their communities and, for various religious, social, moral, and cultural reasons, choose to give freely of their resources. But what was the impact of their giving? What was the role of African philanthropy in responding to the pandemic? What are the positive lessons from philanthropy in the post recovery period? What are some notable achievements from philanthropy’s contribution to responding to COVID19? What is philanthropy’s role in supporting research and development in Africa? Finally, what are the strategies that need to be crafted to realise the One Africa vision through philanthropy?
African populations have a rich culture in gifting, sharing, and mutual support (sharing and gifting goods, work, and money). This literature review aims to present the African philanthropic landscape. This review of the literature related to philanthropy in the six countries: Algeria, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia, explicitly articulates how and why High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs), for example, use their resources to achieve the country’s mission and vision. The methodology used for this study is qualitative and quantitative with a mix of primary and secondary data. Indeed, the data were obtained on one hand through interviews conducted with philanthropic organisations, and on the other hand using documents and databases available on the internet. The study also focuses on the case of Cameroon, in analyzing the efficiency of individual giving and orphan foundations (orphanages) on economic development. This study used an econometric method (Data Envelopment Analysis, (DEA)) to obtain robust results with recommendations. Orphan foundations, private foundations, official development aid organisations, and philanthropic organisations in general are committed to improving the living conditions of populations in difficulty. However, very few authors have focused on philanthropy related on these issues. One of the main results of this study is to contribute to filling this gap in the literature. More specifically, it can be recommended to all individuals, and public or private organisations of good will to increase support of orphan foundations thus enabling them to take in more vulnerable children.
