Jacob’s Ladder Africa (JLA) is proud to announce our expansion into Southern Africa, with our newest operations taking root in Matzikama, the northernmost region of South Africa’s Western Cape Province.
This strategic partnership signals a bold commitment to unlock local potential together with the Matzikama Municipality, and we aim to co-create pathways for youth employment, community resilience, and inclusive green growth, particularly for young people and women who are too often left behind.
Matzikama sits at the frontline of South Africa’s developmental challenges grappling with youth unemployment rates nearing 50%, which is a crisis echoed across much of the country. This figure doesn’t just reflect economic hardship; it reflects untapped potential, systemic exclusion, and a call to action.
JLA believes that by investing in this region, we can prove what’s possible when local governments and mission-driven organizations work in step to transform structural challenges into opportunities for transformation.
In collaboration with the Municipality, JLA will design and roll out tailored programs that address the root causes of unemployment, while building the skills and systems necessary for a resilient, climate-smart future. Our key areas of focus include:
- Green Job Creation: With a focus on climate-smart solutions in agriculture, energy, and waste
- Youth Learnerships: Particularly in hydroponics, mining, and circular economy industries
- Entrepreneurship & Life Skills Training: Equipping youth to launch ventures and take ownership of their economic future
- Women’s Economic Empowerment: Through financial literacy, business coaching, and leadership support
- Sustainable Agriculture & Waste Management: Building models of local food security and environmental stewardship
Our expansion into South Africa comes at a time when the continent must urgently align on strategies that future-proof its workforce and ensure that Africa’s green transition is locally rooted and economically inclusive. At Jacob’s Ladder Africa, we know that meaningful change doesn’t stop at national borders and neither should the solutions. By uniting our continental vision with Matzikama’s local ambition, we’re creating a replicable model for community-driven climate employment and innovation.
Stay tuned as we bring this vision to life and as we demonstrate, once again, that the future of Africa’s green economy is already in motion.
