The work environment is steadily evolving over the past decades with new innovations and technology emerging around the globe. In the “African Youth Works” PARC challenge, Africa will not be left out of these advancements. Competing teams are tasked to assess opportunities for job creation in their respective countries bearing in mind pandemic and post pandemic needs. The contributions from this year’s MAKERS league will encourage employment for African youth and create sustainable pathways to wealth.

Africa is the youngest and fastest-growing continent in the world, and it is estimated that by 2050 African youths will make up 33 percent of the world’s population. The COVID-19 pandemic has exasperated the problem, increasing the significant gap between the number of young people seeking work and the employment opportunities available to them. MAKERS teams are challenged to transform employment in Africa by using science and technology to design solutions in their communities that help increase job opportunities during a pandemic and/or the recovery of a pandemic.

Teams may use the human-centered Design Thinking approach to design or build a new service or product. Alternatively, if teams choose to redesign or improve upon an existing product or system, they must use the Whole System & Life Cycle Thinking sustainable design approach. Teams who chose to program a device as part of their model have the option of using the MathWorks sponsored software for free. Teams must present a model of their innovation, and describe their team process as part of the judging process.