Harambee

What Harambee does

Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator is a South African not-for-profit social enterprise founded in 2011 that addresses structural youth unemployment by operating the SA Youth digital platform (sayouth.mobi), South Africa's largest online youth recruitment network. The platform connects over 4.6 million registered work-seekers (primarily aged 15-35) with 3,000+ employer partners offering jobs, internships, learnerships, training, and self-employment pathways, and is delivered free to both sides of the marketplace. SA Youth functions as an anchor component of the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention launched by President Ramaphosa in June 2021, giving Harambee direct integration with national and provincial government departments. The platform's technical stack includes a mobile-first, data-free web interface, the SA Youth Inclusive CV tool (launched June 2025 with over 800,000 CVs downloaded), learning potential assessments and behavioral screeners, and AI-powered customer support built on the Genesys Cloud platform that delivers a 90% first-contact resolution rate and processes approximately 37,000 chatbot interactions per month.

Harambee generates revenue through a partnership-and-donor funding model rather than direct fees: philanthropic grants from the Mastercard Foundation, Ford Foundation, UBS, and LGT VP; corporate partnerships with major employers including Standard Bank, Microsoft, Pick n Pay, Woolworths, FNB, Nedbank, Unilever, Deloitte, Discovery, Sasol, Google, McDonald's, Volkswagen South Africa, Hollard, TymeBank, Nandos, and Concentrix; embedded implementation contracts with national and provincial government; and operating funding from entities such as the Jobs Fund. Sub-brand DigiLink provides a work-integrated learning program placing youth into technology roles, with documented placements at Capitec and Clickatell. The organization operates a distributed workforce of 350+ staff and maintains offices in South Africa (headquarters) and Rwanda.

Over the period since founding, Harambee has scaled SA Youth to support 4.6 million work-seekers, connect 1.6 million+ young people to earning opportunities, and generate R45.2 billion in cumulative youth income through accessed opportunities. Its competitive position rests on a combination of government policy integration, dense employer network effects, proprietary data on youth skills and behaviors, and an ecosystem of major philanthropic and corporate funders, rather than on traditional for-profit moats.

Name

Harambee

Legal name

Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator

Website

https://harambee.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator is a South African not-for-profit social enterprise operating the SA Youth digital platform, which connects over 4.6 million young work-seekers with 3,000+ employer partners through free job-matching, inclusive CV tools, and AI-powered support, funded by philanthropic and corporate partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Employment Platform

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Internship/Apprenticeship Matching & Work-Based Learning Platforms (EDAFAMAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Workforce Readiness, Career Pathways & Youth Employment Nonprofits (BPAGADAF), Campus / Early Careers RPO (BPACABAJ)

Keywords

• Youth employment services
• Job matching platform
• Digital recruitment platform
• Skills development programs
• Work-integrated learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Partnership and Donor Funding: As a not-for-profit social enterprise, Harambee is funded through partnerships with government, private sector companies, civil society organizations, and philanthropic donors. The SA Youth platform is free for both work-seekers and employers.
2. Government Implementation Contracts: Harambee embeds solution delivery within government structures and receives some funding for implementation support, though government typically provides minimal ongoing support funding.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Harambee operates SA Youth, a national-scale free digital recruitment and job-matching platform that connects young South Africans (work-seekers) with earning, learning, and self-employment opportunities sourced from employers and partners. The platform combines AI-powered candidate-employer matching, behavioral screeners, and learning potential assessments with human advisory support, and is anchored in the South African government's Presidential Youth Employment Intervention. Harambee also delivers work-integrated learning programs (including DigiLink and a Programme Builder's Toolkit) and publishes the Breaking Barriers Research Series to inform the youth-employment ecosystem.

Product overview

Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator operates primarily through its core platform, SA Youth — a national digital recruitment and job-matching ecosystem that connects young work-seekers with employers and opportunities. SA Youth serves as the primary product, functioning as a matchmaking platform where young people build profiles, access inclusive CV tools, complete skills assessments, and get matched to opportunities. Supporting features include AI-powered customer support (Genesys Cloud), behavioural screening tools, and downloadable CV generation. Harambee also produces research publications (Breaking Barriers series) and partners on toolkits like the Work-Integrated Learning Programme Builder. The offering is primarily a web-based platform accessible at sayouth.mobi, designed for mass-scale youth employment facilitation in South Africa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SA Youth: South Africa's largest youth online recruitment platform that connects youth to earning opportunities and gives employers access to young talent across the country. Part of the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention.
• DigiLink

Products and services

• SA Youth Platform A free national digital recruitment and job-matching platform that connects young South African work-seekers with earning, learning, and self-employment opportunities sourced from employers and partners. The platform uses AI-powered matching, an inclusive CV tool, behavioral screeners, and learning potential assessments, and is supported by human advisors via a contact centre.
• DigiLink A work-integrated learning program run by Harambee that combines digital and on-the-job learning to help young South Africans transition into entry-level roles.
• Work-Integrated Learning Programme Builder's Toolkit A toolkit developed by Harambee to help organizations design and implement work-integrated learning programs for young people transitioning into the labor market.
• Breaking Barriers Research Series An evidence-led research publication series produced by Harambee's research and impact team that informs the design of youth employment programs and policy.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.6 million work-seekers supported on platform
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

26 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Standard BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor financial services partner supporting Harambee's youth employment initiatives
• MicrosoftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology partner providing platform and digital infrastructure support
• Pick n PaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRetail employer partner providing job and training opportunities for youth
• WoolworthscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRetail employer partner in youth employment ecosystem
• FNB (First National Bank)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinancial services partner in youth employment initiatives
• NedbankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinancial services partner supporting youth employment programs
• UnilevercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFast-moving consumer goods company partner providing employment opportunities
• DeloittecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional services partner supporting youth employment initiatives
• DiscoverycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinancial services and health company partner in youth employment ecosystem
• SasolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnergy and chemicals company partner providing employment opportunities
• GooglecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology partner supporting digital skills and platform development
• McDonald'scoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFast food company partner providing entry-level employment opportunities
• Volkswagen South AfricacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAutomotive manufacturer partner in youth employment initiatives
• The Presidency of South AfricaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresidential Youth Employment Intervention anchor partnership - SA Youth is part of this national initiative launched by President Ramaphosa
• Youth Employment Service (YES)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment-backed youth employment initiative partnering on talent pipeline development
• Business Unity South Africa (Busa)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness leadership organization collaborating on national youth employment solutions
• Catalyst 2030minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal network of social innovators working on systems change
• HollardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInsurance company partner in youth employment ecosystem
• TymeBankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital bank partner supporting financial inclusion initiatives
• NandoscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRestaurant company partner providing employment opportunities
• ConcentrixcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCustomer experience company partner providing GBS sector opportunities
• DigiLinkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWork-Integrated Learning program operator helping young people access tech sector opportunities through skills training and employment pathways
• Capitec BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through DigiLink to build entry-level skills pipeline into software testing centre, absorbed all candidates into permanent employment
• ClickatellcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChat commerce company partnered with DigiLink to augment software testing pipeline with distributed delivery team
• Western Cape GovernmentflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvincial government partner using SA Youth platform for mass recruitment including YearBeyond (20,000 applicants) and PAY Programme (13,000 applicants)
• Wise CrackscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWindscreen repair company testing entrepreneurship business model with young women sourced through SA Youth platform

Scale indicators9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Generation: Global nonprofit founded by McKinsey that delivers youth employment and skilling programs through partnerships with employers and training providers. Highly comparable to Harambee in mission, two-sided marketplace model, and target demographic of unemployed youth.
• Per Scholas: US-based nonprofit providing tuition-free tech training to adults from underserved backgrounds and connecting them to employer partners. Comparable in workforce readiness focus, employer-driven curriculum, and serving entry-level talent sourcing for employers.
• Year Up: US-based nonprofit providing career training and income-supporting pathways to employment for young adults from underserved communities. Comparable in mission, employer partnership model, and focus on connecting youth to entry-level corporate opportunities.
• Education for Employment (EFE): Global nonprofit that trains and places youth in jobs across the Middle East and North Africa, with a model centered on private-sector partnerships. Directly comparable to Harambee in connecting unemployed youth to earning opportunities through employer partnerships.
• MagicBus: India-based nonprofit that uses a livelihood skilling model to connect underprivileged youth to employment opportunities. Comparable in mission, target demographic, and operating model of bridging youth and employers through training-led pathways.

Emerging players

• Andela: African tech talent marketplace that connects African software engineers with global employer demand. Comparable in Africa-focused tech talent matching and South African employer relevance, but operates as a for-profit model with different target demographic (existing skilled developers vs. entry-level youth).

Others

• Youth Employment Service (YES): South African government-backed youth employment initiative that partners with business to create one-year work opportunities. Harambee is a partner and customer of YES rather than a competitor, but YES is structurally related in the same South African youth employment ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• International Youth Foundation (IYF): Global nonprofit organization focused on youth development including workforce readiness and employability. Overlap with Harambee's youth employment mission, but IYF operates broadly across multiple youth development areas rather than specializing in a digital matching platform.
• TechnoServe: Global nonprofit working with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses, and industries, including youth employment programs in Africa. Comparable in pan-African nonprofit structure and donor-funded model, but operates more broadly across multiple sectors rather than specializing in youth digital matching.

Regional players

• African Leadership Academy: Pan-African institution focused on developing young African leaders through secondary education and university pathway support. Comparable in African youth development focus and regional footprint, but operates a different model (residential education rather than digital job matching).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Harambee4Work
• Facebookfacebook.com/harambee.youthemployment
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/harambee-youth-employment-accelerator
• Instagraminstagram.com/harambeeyouthemployment

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Harambee