In Western and Central Africa, 6 million young people enter the workforce annually, yet only about half a million new jobs are created. The creation of more and better jobs is critical for the future of the region. More than just a source of income, jobs provide dignity and purpose.
We want to hear from YOU!
What does a good job mean to you and why? What is the secret ingredient to get a good job in Africa?
Share an inspiring 1-minute audio clip answering one of these questions for a chance to get featured on a special episode of the World Bank “People First” Podcast. We want to hear your ideas and solutions for improving job opportunities in Western and Central Africa.
How to enter:
Send us your 1-minute audio clip following the APPLY button at the top right of this page, fill in the information needed, and follow the additional steps.
Eligibility:
- You must be a citizen of a Western and Central African member country (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Ghana, Equatorial, Liberia, Guinea, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Togo)
- You must be between 18 and 35 years old at the time of submission.
- We strongly encourage diverse, untraditional, and unheard voices to enter this call for submissions.
- World Bank staff, including individual consultants and their immediate family members, contractors and their employees are not eligible to submit an entry.
Submissions are due May 7, 2025, 11:59 PM ET.
Audio clip submission guidelines:
- Upload a 1-minute audio clip of yourself answering one of the proposed questions.
- Your audio clip should answer one of the following questions: What does a good job mean to you and why? What is the secret ingredient to get a good job in Africa?
- Record the audio clip in a quiet place, without music or background noise. Listen to your audio clip before uploading it, to make sure we can hear you well. No other external person should speak in the audio clip.
- The idea and/or solution shared must be personal. Audio clips must not have been previously published or used for a commercial purpose such as private sale or used in monetized platforms. The entry must be your original work not previously published in any other platform or media.
- Audio clips can be submitted in English or French.
- Audio clips should be shared in MP4 format.
Selection:
Submissions will be selected by officials at the World Bank. Selection will take place during the month of May 2025 and selected participants will be contacted by the email address provided in their submission.
Submissions will be selected based on their clarity and relevance to the topic. Decisions are final and no further correspondence will be considered.
The top selected entries will be featured on a special episode of the World Bank Podcast “People First” and published on select social media platforms of the World Bank.
Terms and Conditions:
By submitting an entry, you will retain the copyright to the entry and agree to grant the World Bank the non-exclusive, perpetual, royalty free and worldwide permission to use and publicly display, use in printed publications of the World Bank, its social media platforms, its websites, or in any other media with appropriate attribution to you as the copyright owner of the winning entries. The World Bank has the sole discretion to use or not use an entry, or to take down an entry already posted to any of its digital channels. For avoidance of doubt, these rights will revert for entries submitted but not selected as winners of the competition.
Participants must be aged between 18 and 35 years old. Participation in the People First Podcast is not directed at minors under the age of 18 years old.
Participants must be a citizen of a Western and Central Africa member country (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Ghana, Equatorial, Liberia, Guinea, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Togo)
Bank staff including its individual consultants and their immediate family members; contractors and their employees are not eligible to submit an entry.
Fraud Alert:
The World Bank does not charge a fee at any stage of the call for submissions, or other fee, or request information on participants’ bank accounts. Please, beware of potential scams.
All submissions are public and not private communications. The World Bank is not responsible for (i) any incorrect or inaccurate information used in connection with the social media campaign; or (ii) failures or errors which may occur in the administration of the social media campaign. To the fullest extent permitted by law, The World Bank exclude liability and entrants agree to release and hold harmless The World Bank for any damage, loss, liability or injury to person or property or for any claim arising as a result of your entry into the competition.
All Bank decisions are final and unappealable.
You represent and warrant that you are the rightful owner of the entry and of all rights associated with the entry; that you have (a) not infringed on any third party rights, including copyrights, trademarks, industrial property, trade secrets, confidentiality obligations and rights of privacy and publicity, and have the necessary written release(s) or permission(s) to use any third party rights or intellectual property (b) not violated any applicable law(s) in any countries in the world; (c) the entry is your original work not previously published in any other platform or media.
By participating in the People First Podcast call for submissions, you agree that the Bank has the right to verify the ownership and originality of any entry. You shall submit a written copy of any release or permission you have received from a third-party granting permission. If an entry is selected as a winning entry, and the ownership rights and the originality of an entry cannot be verified, the Bank may select an alternate winner. All Bank decisions are final.
By submitting an entry, you accept and agree with the above terms and conditions. Do not submit an entry if you disagree with these terms and conditions.
Preservation of Immunities. Nothing herein shall constitute or be considered to be a limitation upon or a waiver of the privileges and immunities of the World Bank which are specifically reserved.