With close to 20 percent of its populace made up of youth, the African continent holds the largest population of youth in the world.1 Although this vibrant group has much to offer the continent in terms of innovation, labour and enthusiasm, over 20 percent of African youth are unemployed.2 This figure is further exacerbated by the lack of available jobs that target youth, insufficient training programmes that meet labour market demands (youth are ‘underskilled’ or have outdated skills), and poor access to services that would help youth create their own opportunities. As an initiative established by the United Nations Capital Development Fund in partnership with The MasterCard Foundation, YouthStart provides solutions to the opportunity gap for youth by working with local financial institutions in sub-Saharan Africa for the purpose of increasing access to financial services for low income youth, with an emphasis on savings and financial education. The impetus of YouthStart is the belief that providing youth with the right combination of financial and non-financial services not only gives them the right tools to make sound financial decisions, but it also helps youth build a strong asset base, create sustainable livelihoods, and be productive contributors to their families and communities (see figure I).