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AI skills.
Better jobs.
Less poverty.

ABL means AI skills, better jobs, less poverty. Our mission is to help close Africa’s AI skills gap and make AI a path to poverty alleviation. Starting in Cameroon, our three-month bootcamp equips adults ages 18–25 to solve business problems with AI, demonstrate value through a portfolio of work, and compete for better-paying jobs.

Explore the program Why it matters

Practical AI learning · A portfolio of work · Employment-focused outcomes

01
Skills02
Business value03
Jobs04
Income

The impact we seek

Poverty alleviation is the measure.

Employment and earnings are how we get there: graduates moving into better-paying jobs and steadier income, so progress is felt at home—not counted in projects.

01 · Skills

Turn AI into business value

We prepare young Africans to apply AI to real business problems and demonstrate the value of their work.

02 · Employment

Compete for better-paying jobs

We follow graduates into the labor market—applications, interviews, offers, job quality, and starting pay—each step on the path out of poverty.

03 · Income

Make progress felt at home

We track earnings and work stability three and six months after graduation. Sustained income growth is how less poverty shows up in daily life.

These are intended outcomes, not results already achieved. The Cameroon pilot will establish a baseline.

The problem and opportunity

A jobs challenge meets an AI skills gap.

Many young Cameroonians struggle to find work that provides stable and sufficient income. At the same time, organizations across Africa need people who can apply AI to real business problems. ABL Africa will focus on the practical skills that can help young adults compete for this work.

Cameroon’s young workforce

57%

People ages 18–35 represent 57% of Cameroon’s labor force, yet many struggle to find work. ABL Africa focuses on adults ages 18–25 entering this transition.

Source: World Bank

Africa’s digital talent gap

3M vs ~70K

The Mastercard Foundation cites demand for three million advanced digital professionals compared with approximately 70,000 currently produced each year.

Source: Mastercard Foundation

Africa’s AI opportunity

0.2% → ~4%

The IMF estimates that AI could add approximately 0.2% to sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP over a decade at current readiness. With stronger foundations for widespread adoption, the cumulative gain could approach 4%.

Source: IMF

ABL AI Builders

Learn AI by solving a business problem.

Our free, 12-week bootcamp will teach young adults to identify a business problem, build a responsible AI-enabled workflow, and demonstrate whether it improves speed, quality, or cost. Weekly guided sessions and team projects will produce a portfolio case study participants can use when seeking employment.

  1. Month 1

    Define the value

    • Learn AI fundamentals.
    • Understand privacy, responsible use, and human oversight.
    • Map a business workflow.
    • Identify a measurable problem worth solving.

  2. Month 2

    Build and test

    • Build an AI-enabled workflow or tool.
    • Practice prompting and tool selection.
    • Evaluate output quality.
    • Add human review and improve the solution using feedback.

  3. Month 3

    Prove the result

    • Compare time, quality, or cost with a baseline.
    • Explain the solution’s limitations and potential business value.
    • Produce a portfolio case study.
    • Prepare a résumé, interview story, and focused job-search plan.

Illustrative project areas

  • Customer Service
  • Agriculture
  • Financial services

Cameroon · Proposed 2027 pilot

Start in Cameroon. Build for Africa.

Cameroon is the first place where ABL Africa will test the curriculum and employment outcomes. With evidence and strong local partnerships, the model can later be adapted across Central Africa and, over time, elsewhere on the continent.

  • Adults ages 18–25
  • Three months of guided learning
  • Free participation
  • Target of at least 50% women
  • Practical projects informed by local business needs
  • Skills assessment at entry and graduation
  • Employment and earnings follow-up at three and six months

Get involved

Interested in learning about our program?

We would love to hear from you. Tell us who you are and we will keep you informed as the program takes shape — from curriculum details to the proposed Cameroon pilot. Prospective participants, mentors, educators, and employers are all welcome to reach out.