After a long absence, Schule Z is back!
Olivier Armand Bassock, the founder of “Entrepreneur Z”, the company behind Schule Z, is here with us to answer all our questions about this initiative:
Who’s Olivier Armand Bassock?
I am a young entrepreneur of Cameroonian origin. Based in Morocco since 2012, I am the founder and CEO of Buntou and Entrepreneur Z, a community of African entrepreneurs who STRONGLY believe in the potential of Africa and in entrepreneurship as a solution to youth unemployment and poverty in our continent.
What is SCHULE Z?
In partnership with Meta (Ex. Facebook), Schule Z is the first Pan-African initiative that targets high school students in Africa. The aim of this initiative is to introduce high school students to entrepreneurship and enable them to develop transversal skills through an international competition of project ideas and the establishment of entrepreneurship clubs in African High schools. Through this initiative, high school students who represent the future of our country and Africa will be able to grow with the entrepreneur mindset, a creative and innovative spirit oriented towards job creation. The program intends to gradually roll out in all African regions.
Why did you launch SCHULE Z?
According to the African Development Bank, to maintain the current unemployment and poverty rate, Africa would need to create more than 30 million new jobs every year. This need will reach 45 million by 2030. However, despite the enormous resources and opportunities we have, the African education system is still preparing young people to be more job seekers rather than entrepreneurs or job creators. From this, there are barely 3 million young people who find a job out of the 12 to 15 million new graduates each year. It is from that observation that our community finds it necessary to introduce young to entrepreneurship.
What’s the vision?
We are engaged in building a new generation of creative, inspired, and enterprising leaders. Our vision is that of a new world of economic integration and empowerment based on entrepreneurial education, support, and mentoring of young people from high schools and universities. Through our vision, we want to build a better continent where young’s can believe in Africa, dream, achieve, impact much more and become job’s, opportunities, and wealth creators.
Tell us a little bit about the previous edition? (SCHULE Z 2019)
The pilot phase of the Schule Z program ran from January 18 to February 11, 2019. Schule Z has made it possible, among other things, to:
- Provide the multifunctional center of Douala 2 with computers and IT equipment to help the government to support young people in an unfavorable situation, – coach 600 secondary school students, – train 550 undereducated young people in entrepreneurship, and offer vouchers worth 1,200,000 FCFA each to six (06) young entrepreneurs. Under the patronage of the Ministry of Youth and Civic Education, this edition was enhanced by the support of administrative authorities such as the sub-prefect of Douala 2 and heads of establishments. in Cameroon. Ten (10) secondary schools, two (02) universities, and three (03) Multifunctional youth centers participated in this edition.
What’s going to be different from the previous edition?
This edition will cover 3 African regions. This year, in addition to competitions for project ideas at the local level, we will introduce an international competition in Morocco. The finalists from each country will meet for 10 days in Morocco where they will benefit from a set of activities.
What do you hope to achieve? (Goals)
We expect to reach 20,000 high school students this year, cover 30 high schools and offer 12 workshops to young people. Our wish is that young people can implement 30 income-generating projects.
Can you share with us the planning?
The program will run from January 02 to March 20. There is a national phase in each country. The international phase in Morocco will take place from March 10 to 20, 2022.
Any last thoughts?
Thank you for giving us your space to allow us to shed as much light as possible on our vision. We invite potential sponsors and partners to join us to multiply the impact of this project.