COHORT 1 COMPLETE · 2026
Growth Beyond Grades
A six-week personal and professional development programme equipping university students and recent graduates across Africa with the clarity, confidence, and tools to navigate the transition from education to meaningful work.
- Pan-African · Online
- In partnership with The Student Growth Hub
- Six weeks
- Free for all participants
THE CHALLENGE
Africa has a youth employment crisis. GBG is one part of the solution.
Africa is the world’s youngest continent. By 2030, young Africans will represent one in five of the world’s youth. Yet the systems designed to support their transition into economic life are consistently failing them.
60%
of Africa's population is under the age of 25, the world's youngest continent by demographic share. _African Development Bank, 2023
12 million
young Africans enter the labour market every year. Fewer than 3 million formal jobs are created to absorb them.
_ILO Africa Report, 2024.
72%
of employed youth in sub-Saharan Africa are in vulnerable or informal work not the meaningful work they prepared for.
_World Bank.
1 in 2
GBG Cohort 1 applicants had never written a CV before applying in 2026, preparing to enter a workforce that would ask for one.
WHAT OUR OWN DATA SHOWED
Before Cohort 1 began every applicant completed a structured baseline assessment. Here is what we found.
75%
Lacked career clarity on entry
1 in 2
Had never written a CV
9 of 30
Scored below WHO-5 poor wellbeing threshold
3.27 of 5
Average professional self-assessment at baseline
THE PROGRAMMME
Six weeks built on the RISE model
GBG is a structured intervention grounded in the R-WEF RISE Framework, Resilience, Innovation, Sustainability, Empowerment. Delivered in partnership with The Student Growth Hub, each week builds intentionally on the last.
Identity
Three-layer professional identity framework. Know who you are before you tell the world.
Skill Audit
Digital literacy mapping and skills gap analysis against real market demand.
Communication
Professional value articulation. Say who you are and make people listen.
Execution
Goal setting and accountability systems. Turn intentions into consistent outcomes.
Career Blueprint
Career clarity framework and 90-day action plan grounded in self-knowledge.
Legacy
Reflection, peer recognition, and public commitment to what comes next.
COHORT 1 — 2026
What the evidence showed
Psychological wellbeing was measured using the WHO-5 Wellbeing Index, a validated World Health Organisation instrument. Work readiness was measured using a structured scale at baseline and endline.
140+
Applications received across 8 countries
30
Participants selected through competitive process
27
Programme graduates
25.5
Average WHO-5 wellbeing improvement
90%
Programme completion rate
19.3
Average work readiness improvement
33%
Average professional self-assessment improvement
9.8 of 10
Net Promoter Score. 100% promoters.
At programme entry, 9 participants scored below 50 on the WHO-5 Wellbeing Index, the threshold the WHO identifies as indicating poor wellbeing. By graduation, zero participants remained in this category.
Cohort 1 Impact Report
Our full impact report is in preparation. Subscribe to be notified when it publishes.
WHERE WE ARE HEADED
The GBG Roadmap.
GBG is not a standalone programme. It is the first stage of the RISE Collective, a larger ecosystem taking young Africans from psychological foundation through professional development into community leadership and economic opportunity.
GBG Cohort 1
Pilot complete.
27 graduates. 8 countries. Proof of concept established.
GBG Cohort 2
50 participants. Full MEL framework. Alumni community. Waitlist open now.
Student to Work
Connecting GBG graduates to real employment pathways and opportunities.
RISE Collective
12-month integrated programme. From inner foundation to community leadership.
Pan-African Scale
Kenya, Ghana, South Africa. 1,000+ participants annually. Research published.
Joining the waitlist does not guarantee selection. All participants go through R-WEF’s competitive application and selection process.
