A large group of happy young participants in a FRED programme

A future-readiness ecosystem

Build Your Mindset.
Unlock Your Future.

Equipping young people with the mindset, confidence, and skills to build businesses - and the jobs that come with them.

What is FRED

Mindset. Confidence. Capability.

FRED equips young people with the mindset, confidence and practical capability to pursue entrepreneurship as a real pathway to financial security. Through a blended, AI-enabled program, we move each participant from self-awareness to a business idea they believe in and, for those with the conviction to continue, to a validated venture idea and a business plan.

A smiling young learner in a FRED programme

Explore the Ecosystem

The problem we're solving

An economy that can't absorb its young people.

South Africa's economy is not growing fast enough to absorb the young people entering the labour market each year. Youth unemployment of 60% or more is, at its root, a consequence of an education system that prepares young people for jobs that no longer exist in sufficient numbers, and a lack of economic growth to create those jobs in the first place. The same structural gap exists across Africa, and it's growing: the continent's under-25 population is projected to surpass 830 million by 2050, while formal job creation isn't keeping pace.

Young people navigating a challenging economic landscape

60%+

Youth unemployment in South Africa sits at 60% or more - the direct result of an education system built for jobs that no longer exist in sufficient numbers.

3M vs 12M

Africa creates roughly 3 million formal jobs a year, against as many as 12 million young people entering the labour market annually - and Sub-Saharan Africa alone will need around 15 million new jobs every year by 2030 just to absorb new entrants.

40%

In five years, AI will reshape most entry-level jobs. Already, 40% of employers expect to shrink their workforce specifically where AI can automate tasks.

1 in 3

One in three South African adults don't believe they have the skills to start a business - and even among those who spot a good opportunity, half won't act on it, held back by fear of failure.

1.4bn - 2.5bn by 2050

Africa's population is projected to grow from 1.4 billion today to more than 2.5 billion by 2050, with the under-25 population alone surpassing 830 million. The problem is only getting bigger.

~9 million/year

Close to 9 million young Africans a year fall into low-productivity, informal work with little income growth or security.

Impact

Real outcomes, measured.

Every outcome is defined and measured - so funders and evaluation teams see the shift we create, not just the activity we run.

See the full impact

400+

High school participants reached (South Africa and Egypt)

50+

Unemployed youth reached (Mitchell's Plain)

Early-stage entrepreneurs (Atlantis SEZ)

450+

Total young people impacted across South Africa and Egypt

Partners

The people building this with us.

See our partners

FRED partners with corporates, funders, schools and ecosystem players to scale future-readiness across South Africa and Egypt - with measurable, reportable outcomes.