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AYCADO

Africa Youth Career Development Organization

Youth career development across Africa, where learning becomes experience.

Equipping young people with practical skills, professional capabilities, hands on experience and opportunities to build meaningful careers.

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Founded
March 2024
Focus
Youth skills, careers & experience
Delivery
In person and online
Young African professionals collaborating around a laptop during a training session

Learn · Practice · Experience · Advance

Practical capability for the changing world of work.

Who we are

A youth focused professional and skills development organization.

AYCADO was founded in March 2024 by James Ruzii Gonwokay, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, to close the distance between what young people learn and what professional life actually asks of them.

We bridge the gap between education and employment through training, mentorship, experience and real world opportunity helping young people develop practical knowledge, professional skills and the confidence needed to thrive in today’s world.

Read our full story
“Learning becomes more valuable when people have the opportunity to apply it.”
AYCADO core philosophy

Our development philosophy

Learning → Practice → Experience → Capability

Each stage depends on the one before it. Skipping any of them is why capable young people are still described as unprepared.
  1. 01

    Learning

    Structured knowledge, professional training and guided instruction that build a dependable foundation.

  2. 02

    Practice

    Exercises, simulations and guided application that turn understanding into working ability.

  3. 03

    Experience

    Projects, workshops and collaborative work where young people take responsibility for real outcomes.

  4. 04

    Capability

    Professional competence, confidence and evidence of what a young person can genuinely do.

What we do

Training, practice and development across the capabilities young people actually need.

AYCADO designs and delivers training programs, workshops, seminars, practical learning sessions, mentorship programs and youth focused projects online and in person.

Professional foundations

Career development

Practical & experiential

Leadership & enterprise

See the program calendarApply to a program

Our programs

Eight pathways from learning to professional capability.

Each pathway can stand alone, but they are designed to connect a young person can move from structured learning into practice, experience and leadership.
View all programs
A confident young African graduate holding books in a sunlit university corridor

Who we serve

Young people at different stages of the same journey.

AYCADO works with young people and young adults moving through education, into work, and onward into leadership and enterprise.
Secondary & university students
Young people still in formal education who want practical capability alongside academic study.
Recent graduates
Graduates preparing to enter the workplace and translate qualifications into employability.
Young professionals
Early career professionals building competence, confidence and progression.
Job seekers & career starters
Those actively pursuing a first role and needing readiness, guidance and exposure.
Young & aspiring entrepreneurs
Young people developing enterprise ideas, discipline and practical business capability.
Students seeking practical experience
Learners who want project work, collaboration and hands on responsibility.
Professionals seeking additional skills
Working people adding new professional, digital or leadership capability.
Youth in leadership & community development
Young people committed to leadership, innovation and contribution to their communities.

What young people gain

More than knowledge: capability that can be demonstrated.

AYCADO participants build real capabilities and practical experiences that shape their future.

  • Practical skills

    Applied ability that holds up outside the classroom, developed through repeated practice.

  • Professional experience

    Exposure to real working expectations, standards, feedback and collaboration.

  • Career readiness

    Preparation for applications, interviews, workplace conduct and early progression.

  • Confidence

    The self assurance that comes from having done the work, not only studied it.

  • Mentorship

    Access to guidance from people further along a professional path.

  • Networking

    Professional relationships that extend opportunity beyond immediate circles.

  • Project experience

    Evidence of contribution: work delivered, problems solved, responsibility carried.

  • Digital capability

    Comfort and competence with the digital tools modern work depends on.

  • Entrepreneurial development

    Initiative, enterprise thinking and the discipline to build something.

  • Professional development

    A habit of continuous growth that outlasts any single programme.

Why AYCADO

The difference between knowing and being able.

Most young people are not short of information. What they lack is the chance to apply it, be corrected, and try again until it becomes ability.

Learning alone

Knowledge without application.

  • Understanding a concept without ever having used it
  • Qualifications that employers cannot translate into competence
  • Confidence that has never been tested in practice
  • No evidence of delivered work

Learning + practice + experience

Capability that can be shown.

  • Skills applied repeatedly under guidance and feedback
  • Professional judgement developed through real responsibility
  • Confidence earned by having done the work
  • A portfolio of contribution, not only certificates
James Ruzii Gonwokay, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of AYCADO

Founder & Chief Executive Officer

James Ruzii Gonwokay

Leadership

Founded on a conviction about young people.

James Ruzii Gonwokay established AYCADO in March 2024 with a straightforward conviction: young people are not short of potential they are short of opportunity to apply it.

That conviction shapes how AYCADO designs everything: training that leads somewhere, practice that is supervised, experience that carries real responsibility, and mentorship that continues after a session ends.

Read the founder’s profile

News

AYCADO updates.

The latest news and announcements from AYCADO.

Welcoming Erica N. Duncan to AYCADO leadership

Erica N. Duncan joins AYCADO as Director of Gender Development and Women Empowerment. As per her role at AYCADO, she will lead AYCADO's dedicated work to advance girls' and women's education, leadership, professional development and economic participation, design and coordinate programs focused on women's empowerment, gender equality and equal opportunity, develop female mentorship networks and initiatives connecting girls and women with experienced professionals, lead the efforts in promoting women's participation in entrepreneurship, technology, innovation, career development and decision-making, and build partnerships with women's organizations, female-led enterprises, educational institutions and relevant development partners.

Erica N. Duncan is a Liberian journalist, blogger and content creator, and a communications professional with a passion for storytelling, media and creating opportunities for positive social change.

She holds a Bachelor's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from CT University, India, and is the Founder and CEO of EricaBlog, a digital media platform sharing entertainment news, human interest stories and community updates from Liberia and across Africa.

As AYCADO's Director of Gender Development and Women Empowerment, Erica will help advance opportunities for young women and girls across our programmes. Read her full profile at aycado.org/team.

Events

Upcoming AYCADO events.

Workshops, sessions and gatherings you can take part in.
See all events
AYCADO Youth Entrepreneurship Conference

Local ConferencesIn person

AYCADO Youth Entrepreneurship Conference

A local AYCADO conference for youths, young women, young adults and students who want to start, grow or join a business. COMING SOON.

Date
Coming soon date to be announced
Registration opens once the date is setView Event

TrainingHybrid

AYCADO Academy Training Series

Structured career and professional development training covering employability, communication, workplace conduct and personal effectiveness.

Date
Coming soon date to be announced
Registration opens once the date is setView Event

WorkshopsIn person

AYCADO Skills Lab Practical Session

A hands on lab where participants apply what they have learned through exercises, simulations and guided practice.

Date
Coming soon date to be announced
Registration opens once the date is setView Event

Newsletter

Get AYCADO updates by email.

News, events and opportunities from AYCADO, sent to your inbox.

Social media

Latest from our Facebook Page.

News, updates and moments from AYCADO, shared on our official Facebook Page.
Follow AYCADO on Facebook

  • AYCADO Youth Entrepreneurship Conference A local AYCADO conference for youths, young women, young adults and students who want to start, grow or join a business. COMING SOON. Local conference When: Coming soon, date to be announced For: Youths, Young women, Young adults, Students The AYCADO Youth Entrepreneurship Conference is a local gathering in Liberia for young people who want to turn ideas into businesses and build the skills employers and investors look for. Participants will hear from local founders, take part in practical sessions on business planning, finance and marketing, and meet peers and mentors. COMING SOON. The venue, date, time and registration link will be added here once they are confirmed. Members can already reserve their interest in the member portal. https://aycado.org/events/aycado-local-youth-conference Optional: reserve your free seat early and we will email you when the date, time and venue are announced: https://aycado.org/conferences/aycado-local-youth-conference/reserve

    View on Facebook

  • Welcoming Erica N. Duncan to AYCADO leadership Erica N. Duncan joins AYCADO as Director of Gender Development and Women Empowerment. As per her role at AYCADO, she will lead AYCADO's dedicated work to advance girls' and women's education, leadership, professional development and economic participation, design and coordinate programs focused on women's empowerment, gender equality and equal opportunity, develop female mentorship networks and initiatives connecting girls and women with experienced professionals, lead the efforts in promoting women's participation in entrepreneurship, technology, innovation, career development and decision-making, and build partnerships with women's organizations, female-led enterprises, educational institutions and relevant development partners. Erica N. Duncan is a Liberian journalist, blogger and content creator, and a communications professional with a passion for storytelling, media and creating opportunities for positive social change. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from CT University, India, and is the Founder and CEO of EricaBlog, a digital media platform sharing entertainment news, human interest stories and community updates from Liberia and across Africa. As AYCADO's Director of Gender Development and Women Empowerment, Erica will help advance opportunities for young women and girls across our programmes. Read her full profile at aycado.org/team. https://aycado.org/

    View on Facebook

  • Happy National ThankalGiving Day to the Nation and People of Africa's Oldest Republic, Liberia as we commemorate yet another Thanksgiving Day.

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  • Do not settle for less, prepare a future that's worth living.

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  • We are pleased to officially welcome you to the Facebook page of AYCADO! AYCADO is committed to creating opportunities, empowering communities, and promoting sustainable development through initiatives that support individuals and communities to build a better future. Through our programs and partnerships, we aim to inspire positive change, strengthen communities, and create opportunities for those who need them most. This page will serve as a platform to share our mission, programs, projects, achievements, and opportunities to get involved in our work. We believe that meaningful change begins when people come together with a shared vision and a commitment to making a difference. Join us on this journey. Follow our page, engage with our work, and become part of the change we want to see in our communities. AYCADO — Empowering People. Transforming Communities. Creating Opportunities. Visit our website: aycado.org for more information #AYCADO #CommunityDevelopment #Empowerment #SustainableDevelopment #PositiveChange #BuildingBetterFutures

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  • aycado.org Africa Youth Career Development Organization, join us let's develop young minds in Africa.

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Partnership

Help build the next generation of African talent.

AYCADO works with universities, employers, institutions, mentors and development partners to widen access to practical skills, professional experience and opportunity for young people across Africa.

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