Mr. Magara Darious the Managing Editor of eastafricanwatch.net talked to Mr. Ivor Ichikowitz, Chairman of the Ichikowitz Family Foundation (IFF) in Q&A interview about how youths globally and especially in Africa can be helped and supported by governments to be job creators and development change makers. Read the interview below;
Question; Share brief information about yourself and your organization.
Answer; I am Ivor Ichikowitz, an African industrialist, philanthropist, and Chairman of the Ichikowitz Family Foundation. Through my business experience, I have seen the talent and ambition that exist across Africa, as well as the barriers that prevent too many people from realising their potential.
The Foundation supports initiatives in education, entrepreneurship, environmental conservation and the preservation of African history. Our work is about giving people the knowledge, opportunities and confidence to shape their own futures. We believe African institutions and African capital have an important role in developing solutions to the continent’s challenges.
One example is the African Youth Survey, which we launched in 2020 to give young Africans a stronger voice in decisions affecting their lives. The 2026 edition interviewed 4,901 young people aged 18–24 across 16 countries, exploring their views on employment, leadership, economic opportunity and Africa’s future.
Question; what does your organization do for youth empowerment?
We approach youth empowerment by listening to young people and then helping create opportunities for them to act on their ambitions. The African Youth Survey helps us understand their priorities directly, rather than assuming we know what they need.
Our partnership with One Young World is a practical example. The Foundation is the founding partner of its National Programme for Job-Generating Entrepreneurs, which supports 10 South African founders aged 18–35 who are already building businesses with the potential to grow and employ others.
The programme provides tailored mentoring, business networks and introductions to prospective investors and commercial partners. Participants also join One Young World’s global community of more than 20,000 young leaders across over 190 countries. We want to help them develop the relationships and capabilities needed to build sustainable businesses, reach new markets and create opportunities for their peers.
Question; what special message are you sharing to the Young World Summit in Cape Town?
Answer; my message is that young Africans are ready to contribute now, and we need to give them greater opportunities to do so. Across the continent, young people are developing businesses, applying technology and tackling challenges in their communities. Their ambition deserves practical backing.
Our survey found that 35% of young South Africans identified creating new, well-paying jobs as a priority for Africa’s progress, the highest proportion among the 16 countries surveyed. That should focus our attention on supporting young employers alongside preparing young jobseekers.
A summit like One Young World should leave a lasting commercial and social legacy. For the founders in our programme, support continues beyond Cape Town through mentoring and connections, culminating in a demo day provisionally planned for late May 2027. The real test is whether those relationships help businesses grow and create employment after delegates have gone home.
Question; What strategies do you think governments, families and other leaders can employ to help young entrepreneurs across Africa build businesses and create jobs?
Answer; The most effective support addresses the practical needs of running a business. Governments should make registration, licensing and tax administration straightforward, improve infrastructure and give smaller businesses a fair opportunity to compete for public contracts. Predictable rules and prompt payment can make a substantial difference to a young company’s ability to grow.
Established businesses and investors should open their networks. An introduction to a major customer, a distribution partner or an experienced adviser can change a company’s prospects. Mentoring is most useful when it helps a founder solve a specific problem, whether that is managing cash flow, pricing a product or recruiting a team.
Families also have an important role. Building a business involves uncertainty, and young founders need encouragement, honest feedback and space to learn from setbacks. We should help young people develop financial discipline and commercial judgment while recognising entrepreneurship as a credible career path. That does not mean everyone must become an entrepreneur, but those with the ability and ambition should have a realistic opportunity to try.
Question; what is the problem across the continent as why young founders have the ideas and ambition to tackle pressing challenges, but fail. How can they turn many promising business ideas into a big businesses?
Answer; Many are building businesses under difficult conditions, with limited access to finance, unreliable infrastructure and few connections to larger customers. A promising enterprise can remain small because the conditions around it make expansion exceptionally difficult.
An idea becomes a substantial business when it solves a problem that customers are willing to pay to address, and when the company can deliver that solution consistently. That requires understanding demand, controlling costs, building a capable team and securing enough working capital to fulfil orders. As the business grows, the founder also has to learn to delegate and put stronger systems in place.
Our programme recognises that different businesses need different support. The cohort spans technology, agriculture, transport, education and the creative industries. One founder may need investment, another a commercial partner and another help entering a new market. The aim is to surround them with relevant expertise and relationships so that promising businesses have a better chance of becoming sustainable employers.
Question; what is your advice on acquisition of finance?
Answer; My advice to a young founder is to be clear about how much money you need, what you will use it for and how it will strengthen the business. Investors and lenders need to understand your customers, your costs and the commercial opportunity. Good records, credible forecasts and evidence of demand will help you make a stronger case.
You should also seek finance that fits your business. A transport operator purchasing vehicles has different needs from a technology company developing software. Debt, equity, equipment finance and working-capital facilities serve different purposes. Understand the repayment obligations or ownership implications before accepting an offer, and seek experienced advice on the terms.
Investors and financial institutions also need to improve access for capable founders who lack personal wealth or established networks. Our programme does not provide direct funding, but it helps entrepreneurs prepare for investment conversations and meet prospective investors and commercial partners. A strong customer relationship can also improve a business’s financing prospects by demonstrating demand and creating more predictable revenue.
What is your advice on how governments can create new markets and employment for the youth on the continent?
Answer; African governments must create an enabling environment in which young people can build businesses, attract investment and employ others. That means reliable electricity, affordable internet, functioning transport networks and straightforward rules for starting and running a company. An entrepreneur should be spending time finding customers and developing products, rather than navigating unnecessary bureaucracy. Predictable policies give founders and investors the confidence to commit their money and plan for growth.
Tackling corruption is central to this. When access to a licence, a contract or a public service depends on who you know, talented young people are excluded before they have a chance to prove themselves. Corruption raises the cost of doing business, discourages investment and rewards connections over ability. Governments must make procurement transparent, hold officials accountable and ensure that businesses can compete on the strength of their ideas and delivery.
Question; what do you advise governments to do by using AI and other technologies to solve social and economic challenges?
Answer; Governments should start with the problems they want to solve and work with businesses, researchers and communities to identify where technology can help. There are opportunities to improve access to education, support farmers with useful information, make public administration more efficient and connect people with employment. Success should be judged by whether services improve and more people can use them.
The entrepreneurs in our programme illustrate different parts of this opportunity. Botlhale AI develops digital services in African languages, helping make technology more accessible. JOBJACK connects unemployed Africans with entry-level jobs, while Zaio equips young people with software development, data and AI skills. These businesses show why African entrepreneurs should have a significant role in developing solutions for African markets.
Governments need to support that work through reliable electricity, affordable connectivity, practical digital education and clear rules on data protection and responsible use. They should also give local companies fair opportunities to demonstrate and supply their technology. Alongside adoption, we need investment in people’s ability to adapt, so that young Africans can build these tools, use them productively and participate in the economic opportunities they create.
