$300 million commitment announced by Reeta Roy powers historic initiative for 500,000 Refugees across Africa

In a bold move to address Africa’s growing displacement crisis, Reeta Roy, President and CEO of the Mastercard Foundation, announced a landmark $300 million partnership with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to transform the futures of more than 500,000 refugees and displaced youth.

The initiative, unveiled at the 2025 Africa Forum on Displacement in Nairobi, is one of the most significant private philanthropic commitments ever made to refugee education and livelihoods globally.

“This isn’t just about aid — it’s about unlocking the potential of displaced young people to contribute meaningfully to their communities,” said Roy.

“Through this partnership with UNHCR, we are investing in dignity, opportunity, and long-term solutions.”

Spearheaded under the Foundation’s Young Africa Works strategy, the five-year program will enable over half a million young refugees — including 50% women and 5% people with disabilities — to complete secondary education, support 10,000 youth in tertiary and vocational training, and transition 200,000 into dignified work through entrepreneurship and employment. The initiative will also strengthen 100 local and refugee-led organizations to co-implement programs and influence policy.

Roy, known for her deep commitment to inclusive development, emphasized the power of partnership in scaling impact: “We’ve already seen what’s possible. In just six months, 68,000 youth accessed work opportunities through our earlier collaboration with UNHCR. This new commitment builds on those results and is a decisive step toward reaching our goal of enabling 30 million young Africans to access dignified work by 2030.”

UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner Kelly T. Clements hailed the initiative as a turning point: “Its scale and long-term focus lay the foundation for meaningful recovery and lasting contributions to host communities.”

The announcement comes as Africa grapples with over 45 million displaced people due to ongoing crises in regions such as Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Reeta Roy’s leadership has positioned the Mastercard Foundation not only as a funder but as a catalytic force in reimagining humanitarian response through the lens of economic empowerment and sustainable development.

One shining example of the initiative’s promise is Dr. Fatima, a Sudanese physician who fled with her four children to Chad.

Thanks to the Foundation’s support, she has resumed her medical career, serving both refugee and host communities — a testament, Roy notes, to what happens when people are given the tools to survive and thrive.