By Ronald Kamala and Silas Otieno.

The Africa Careers Network (CAN) ambassadors hosted the orientation and onboarding session for Mastercard Foundation Scholars. This session was aimed at introducing them into the African Career Networks (ACN), its opportunities, and how they can benefit from the platform.

Africa Career Networks is a platform that connects outstanding young talent from African Leadership Academy (ALA) and Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program to career and internship opportunities across Africa. Its mission is to accelerate the career pathways of Africa’s top young leaders by enabling transformative professional and entrepreneurial opportunities, and by building a network for collective change. The ambassadors serve as a vital link between the network and the Mastercard Foundation Scholars at different partner universities, helping to grow a vibrant community and representing ACN on their respective campuses.

Held on campus, the occasion brought together over 50 participants. The session began with an introduction to African Career Networks, where the ambassadors walked the participants through the platform’s purpose and its history, from its inception at ALA to its growth into a continent-wide network supporting African talent through internships, jobs placements, and mentorship opportunities.

Participants were introduced to the ACN’s affiliate programs and its wide network of partner institutions, including major collaborators within the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program and beyond. The presentations highlighted the various sectors that ACN operates in, ranging from Africa Leadership for agribusiness, education, governance, health, infrastructure, the arts and professional services. This demonstrated the platforms commitment to nurturing talents across various industries.

Ritah Mbabazi, a Mastercard Foundation Scholar and ACN ambassador, provided a live demonstration of how to navigate the ACN platform. During the session, attendees examined the portal’s features and learned how to search for opportunities tailored to their specific needs. This was followed by a registration session, where Mastercard Foundation Scholars provided their information to complete their profiles and gain full access to the ACN platform, allowing them to engage with available opportunities.

These insights provided participants with a comprehensive understanding of how their academic interests and personal aspirations could align with the opportunities offered by ACN. It paved the way for broader involvement with the ACN platform as part of their professional development pursuits. The ACN Ambassadors guaranteed their continued support and mentorship to help the Mastercard Foundation Scholars navigate the platform and explore various career pathways. They also informed participants that registration processes would be consistently followed up on, and they committed to share relevant internship and job possibilities.