06/05/2022
Last Thursday, my little startup (Vibarua) was honoured to participate in the Glovo Esade Tech competition held at the Capital Club in Nairobi, Kenya. Out of over 100 applicants, Vibarua was selected as one of 8 finalists. I would like to congratulate all the finalists, and in particular the first prize winner, Lofte Kesho!
I would sincerely like to thank the panel of judges (and greater team members involved) from , , and for the opportunity to pitch a passion project I’ve kept on the back burner for close to a decade.
According to The World Bank (2022), 12% of Kenyans with an advanced education are currently unemployed, which shows that access to formal professional employment is becoming a struggle. Furthermore, 20% of Kenya’s population are aged 15-24 years and a staggering 15.8% of this demographic are currently unemployed.
What is more concerning is that a significant number of the people who are employed across the continent of Africa are not formally employed. Organization (ILO) has estimated that 85 percent of employment in Africa is informal. Which means that often these workers (even with the sudden influx of apps that offer gig work) are receiving the same minimum rights and protections as those who are formally employed.
After reading Fairwork’s report on labour standards in the gig economy in Kenya from last year, I knew it was imperative that I built a product to support the countless citizens struggling to find continuous employment.
There’s a lot of work to be done, but I am up for the challenge!
“The true charity is not giving bread or money, but providing employment.” ~ Ilkin Santak.
