Ethiopian ed-tech and job placement startup Gebeya have signed a US$500,000 advisory services agreement with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to implement the Digital Gender-Ethiopia Programme, aimed at solving the issues of gender disparity in the areas of technology and innovation.

Gebeya focuses on cultivating the untapped tech potential of African youth to prepare them for the demands of the global market, training young people with technical skills, and helping them find jobs.

It has now signed an agreement with the IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, through the Women Entrepreneurs Finance (We-Fi) Initiative, to train 250 female software developers and provide seed funding to 20 female entrepreneurs whose digital business ideas will be supported by Gebeya.

The entrepreneurs will receive technical and strategic guidance on business development from Gebeya, alongside advisory services from IFC worth US$50,000, to support mentorship programs from globally recognized digital entrepreneurs. Gebeya will be responsible for identifying talented candidates who can benefit from the program based on needs. The training will be conducted in four six-month cohorts.

“This commitment by the IFC in Ethiopia will allow us to prioritize women developers across our collective training modules and quickly mobilize them for the growing global demand,” said Hiruy Amanuel, co-founder of Gebeya.