Gebeya Inc., a leading Pan-African tech leadership company that specializes in Saas-enabled custom Talent Cloud innovation, and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in Ethiopia have officially launched a digital platform that will help refugees better market their skills and talents, unlocking professional opportunities in the digital economy.
Dubbed BoundlessSkills.com, this platform aims at connecting skilled refugees and members of the communities that host them, with potential employers. Nearly 300 refugees have been fully onboarded on the platform since its inception in November 2023.
"We're thrilled with the tremendous potential this initiative has already demonstrated in just a few months," said Leul Girma, Gebeya's Chief Operating Officer. "Thanks to support from visionary partners, we're now mobilizing to match these skilled refugee professionals with rewarding career opportunities. And this is just the start. The digital economy offers a powerful pathway toward greater self-reliance for displaced populations. We're eager to replicate and expand models like Boundless Skills Talent Cloud to help refugees safely access decent work opportunities online," said Girma.
The Boundless Skills partnership between Gebeya and UNHCR is made possible through the generous support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands through the PROSPECTS Opportunity Fund. This partnership also aligns with the pledge by the Government of Ethiopia at the Global Refugee Forum 2023 to create economic opportunities for refugees and host communities.
"Solutions that ensure forcibly displaced populations in Ethiopia, including refugees, are included in the country's economic sector remain critical," said Margaret Atieno, UNHCR's Deputy Representative in Ethiopia. "Despite their skills, professional experience and higher education degrees, displaced people struggle to access dignified work. Through this partnership, UNHCR and Gebeya are working to empower refugees to earn a living, to become self-reliant and contribute to the digital economy," said Atieno.
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Skillsets available on the platform include both technical and non-technical skills, ranging from software development and data analysis to digital marketing and customer care services.
To strengthen the impact of the Boundless Skills platform, Gebeya has partnered with various organizations including the Refugee Investment Network (RIN), an organization dedicated to creating solutions to global forced migration, which has the ultimate goal of successfully matching refugees with decent work opportunities, and the Amahoro Coalition working towards providing solutions for refugees through decent work opportunities. In particular, Amahoro will be supporting the scaling of the talent pool by onboarding a pipeline of more than 2,000 skilled and qualified refugees across Gebeya's Talent Cloud ecosystem. Amaharo will then work to connect these pre-vetted refugee talents with jobs available through their network of private sector partners.
Ethiopia currently hosts close to 1 million refugees and asylum seekers, being the third main refugee hosting country in Africa.
Since meeting their goal to fully onboard 300 refugees by April 2024, the Boundless Skills Talent Cloud is now exploring possibilities to scale up to greater numbers across the continent in the near future.
Businesses and organizations interested in accessing hiring opportunities and getting involved on the Boundless Skills Talent Cloud can visit BoundlessSkills.com to learn more.
