Gebeya Inc., a Pan-African SaaS-Enabled Marketplace headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency in Ethiopia, announced the establishment of a refugee talent cloud called: “Boundless Skills”.
This innovative collaboration is dedicated to positively contributing to the global workforce landscape by unlocking the potential of the digital economy for businesses and refugees alike.
For refugees and the communities that host them, online work can broaden their horizons and provide crucial income – but many still face barriers to full participation.
Through this collaboration, which has been generously supported by the Government of the Netherlands under the PROSPECTS Partnership, Gebeya, and UNHCR join forces to identify and endorse highly skilled refugees and members of their host communities. Bridging the gap between professional experience, higher education credentials, and dignified work opportunities will further advance inclusive digital economic development.
The Boundless Skills initiative aims to facilitate the identification of exceptional talent by organizations worldwide. Gebeya and UNHCR’s collaboration will play a significant role in making digital and socioeconomic inclusion a reality. By bringing together diverse skills and unique perspectives, this partnership will support efforts to make the global workforce thrive.
Amadou Daffe, CEO of Gebeya, expressed his enthusiasm, stating: “Gebeya is excited to partner with UNHCR to redefine the boundaries of the digital workforce. The boundless skills talent cloud not only addresses the need for talent but also embodies our commitment to creating an inclusive digital economy”.
Gebeya, Inc., a Pan-African SaaS-enabled Talent Marketplace headquartered in Ethiopia, offers AI-
powered talent cloud marketplace platforms, and essential expertise to drive Africa’s gig economy. The company aims to contribute to Africa’s digital transformation actively, leveraging both continental and global job opportunities to empower African talent further and build upon the already thriving African landscape.
“We know that the digital economy can potentially bring huge benefits to refugees – and that, if they are included in the workplace, businesses will also benefit,” said Hovig Etyemezian, Director of UNHCR’s Innovation Service. “We’re thrilled to be working with Gebeya on Boundless Skills – an innovative way to ensure refugees and their hosts in Ethiopia can safely access dignified work online. We also hope that it is a solution that can scale to other refugee hosting areas around the world.”
This partnership promises to revolutionize how organizations access exceptional talent while simultaneously positively impacting the world. It's a win-win scenario that supports a brighter future for businesses and greater socio-economic inclusion for refugees, amplifying the potential of the global digital economy.
The “Boundless Skills” talent cloud is in line with the pledge made by the Ethiopian government to create more job opportunities for refugees and host communities at the Global Refugee Forum in 2019.
Four years later, over 129,000 economic opportunities have been created for more than 38,000
refugees and over 90,000 Ethiopian nationals. With more than 942,000 refugees and close to 4.4 million internally displaced people (IDPs), Ethiopia currently hosts one of the largest refugees and internally displaced populations in the world.
