THE Mastercard Foundation has announced a major $300 million partnership with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) aimed at expanding education and employment opportunities for over half a million refugees and displaced youth across Africa by 2030.
Unveiled at the 2025 Africa Forum on Displacement in Nairobi, the five-year initiative is one of the largest private philanthropic commitments of its kind. It builds on the Foundation’s ongoing collaboration with UNHCR and is set to focus on secondary and tertiary education, skills development, and dignified work for young refugees, with particular emphasis on women and persons with disabilities.
‘This extraordinary commitment comes at a time of unprecedented displacement across Africa and globally,’ said Kelly T. Clements, UNHCR’s Deputy High Commissioner. ‘Its scale and long-term focus lay the foundation for meaningful recovery and lasting contributions to host communities.’
The partnership is part of the Mastercard Foundation’s broader Young Africa Works strategy, which aims to enable 30 million young people across Africa to access dignified employment by 2030.
Targeting education and employment outcomes
According to the Foundation, the initiative will enable more than 500,000 refugees and displaced youth — including 50 percent women and 5 percent persons with disabilities — to access and complete secondary education. Additionally, 10,000 young people will be supported through tertiary education, including university and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programmes.
The plan also includes transitioning 200,000 youth into employment or entrepreneurship, with a target of 70 percent women among beneficiaries. Furthermore, the partnership will work to strengthen 100 local and refugee-led organisations to help implement solutions and influence policy changes at national and regional levels.
‘We have seen refugees and displaced young people make immense contributions to their communities when they have the right support,’ said Reeta Roy, President and CEO of the Mastercard Foundation. ‘This new commitment builds on remarkable results we have already achieved, enabling 68,000 youth to access work opportunities in just six months.’
Responding to urgent needs
Africa hosts approximately 45 million refugees and displaced persons, according to UNHCR figures. Countries such as Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are home to some of the largest displacement crises globally.
The Mastercard Foundation’s partnership with UNHCR is designed to respond flexibly to the cross-border nature of displacement and prioritise regions most affected by conflict and forced migration.
The 2025 Africa Forum on Displacement, held under the theme ‘All-In’, brought together industry leaders, government officials, refugee-led businesses, and philanthropic organisations to discuss sustainable action for displaced populations. The event was co-convened by the Amahoro Coalition, Inkomoko, and UNHCR, with support from the Mastercard Foundation and the IKEA Foundation.
Building on previous success
Since 2019, the Mastercard Foundation has collaborated with UNHCR on initiatives aimed at strengthening the resilience and livelihoods of displaced youth. One programme, supporting refugees in Sudan and neighbouring countries, enabled 30,000 young people to return to secondary education and helped 68,000 — 62 percent of them women — access employment within just half a year.
Among the success stories is that of Dr. Fatima, a Sudanese doctor who fled conflict with her four children. After relocating to Chad, Fatima was able to obtain accreditation to practise medicine again through support from the Mastercard Foundation–UNHCR partnership, enabling her to continue serving both refugee and host communities.
‘The ability to work is about more than a paycheck — it is a return to identity, dignity, and purpose,’ UNHCR said in a statement highlighting Fatima’s story.
From humanitarian aid to development investment
The initiative reflects a broader shift from emergency humanitarian assistance towards long-term investment in refugee-led development solutions.
With forced displacement expected to remain a pressing challenge across the continent, the Mastercard Foundation’s strategic partnership with UNHCR aims to demonstrate how targeted investment in education, skills, and entrepreneurship can transform the prospects of millions of displaced youth — and contribute to the economic development of their host communities.
