If the challenge is that degrees are no longer enough, the opportunity is that skills are becoming the new currency of the global economy. The World Economic Forum argues that in a world of rapid change, adaptability, creativity, and digital fluency carry as much weight as formal credentials, and in some cases, even more.
For Africa’s graduates, this shift is not just a threat but a chance to get ahead. By embracing entrepreneurship, personal branding, and digital creativity, students can transform the very weaknesses highlighted in today’s labour market into sources of strength. Across the continent, we already see examples of graduates doing just that: building ventures, creating digital portfolios, and positioning themselves for success in new ways.

Enter the Entrepreneurial Graduate
In today’s Africa, entrepreneurial thinking must become a mindset that defines how graduates create value, spot opportunities, and take initiative. A 2025 study by South African academic I.O. Iwara found that rural-based universities integrating enterprise modules saw graduate-led ventures increase by 30%, proving that even modest exposure to entrepreneurial training makes a tangible difference.
This mismatch between the need to produce digitally-led entrepreneurs and the lack of institutional backing explains why many graduates turn to side hustles on their own, ranging from e-commerce ventures to content creation, as a means of building career resilience.
Why Self-Promotion is No Longer Optional
There can be no entrepreneurship without personal branding, which is simply consistent and professional storytelling about one’s skills, ambitions, and track record. Employers are drawn to candidates who demonstrate self-awareness, confidence, and the ability to communicate their skills effectively.
Examples from the entrepreneurial world show how transformative branding can be. In Ghana, Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) has incubated over 80 tech companies by combining technical training with coaching on pitching and personal branding, giving founders the confidence to position themselves effectively in front of investors and partners.
The same lesson applies to graduates of all schools: whether it’s through an online portfolio, a digital CV, social media storytelling, or video showcases of their work, students must now market their ideas and skills with the same intentionality as entrepreneurs.
The Role of Career Services in Africa’s Universities
Too often, career services remain locked in a traditional model, organising CV-writing workshops and job fairs, when the real need is for guidance on entrepreneurship, personal branding, and navigating digital-first economies. ESSA (2025) reports that only 18% of African career offices provide mentoring on branding or entrepreneurial skills, leaving most students to figure it out on their own.
This suggests that career services can be powerful catalysts when they evolve beyond the administrative and into the entrepreneurial. It’s no longer enough to prepare students to be job seekers. Career offices must transform into entrepreneurial coaches and mentors, equipping graduates with the skills to build their own opportunities, showcase their value, and thrive.
Digital Creativity as a Differentiator
Today’s graduates have a great opportunity to showcase their qualifications and prove their skills through digital creation. In essence, graduates must learn to be content creators for their own careers, not just consumers of information.
Across Africa, institutions are already seeing the impact of digital-first training. In Ghana, MEST attributes much of its success to teaching young entrepreneurs how to pitch their ideas, including apps, digital products, and compelling content. Similarly, Uganda National Entrepreneurship Development Institute (UNEDI) trains over 5,000 entrepreneurs each year, centring its programmes on practical, digital-ready skills that directly translate into employability and business creation.
The good news is that affordable, user-friendly tools like Adobe Express exist to support this shift. With the right tools, a graduate can craft an online portfolio, produce a podcast, or create a short video pitch, demonstrating both initiative and creativity. Learning Curve, an Adobe Platinum Partner, enables all these creative outputs by offering students hands-on access to Adobe Creative Cloud workflows (including Adobe Express). Software tools that enable real outputs and demonstrate technical capability to employers create a differentiator for graduates and a powerful hiring signal for employers.
Conclusion
A university degree still matters. It opens doors to opportunities. However, in today’s Africa, where the labour force is projected to expand by nearly 198 million by 2030, simply holding a certificate is no longer sufficient.
The evidence is clear: two interventions can make a difference. Firstly, graduates who receive entrepreneurship support show measurable improvements in employment outcomes. Secondly, graduates who use creative tools to self-promote already have an advantage over those who do not.
A degree can be the start, but entrepreneurial skills, personal branding, and digital creativity are what carry graduates across the threshold.
The result is a graduate who leaves campus not only with a degree, but also with the confidence, portfolio, and entrepreneurial toolkit to start creating value immediately.
Sources
Education Sub-Saharan Africa (ESSA). (2025). [Career services and entrepreneurship/self-promotion support in African universities—18% providing support]. ESSA.
Iwara, I., O. (2025). [Entrepreneurship modules in rural universities and graduate-led venture creation (+30%)]. Journal of Education and Learning Technology.
MEST Africa (Ghana). (n.d.). [Program outcomes: >80 tech companies incubated; training includes pitching/personal branding]. MEST Africa.
UNEDI (Uganda). (n.d.). [Entrepreneurship training programmes—~5,000 entrepreneurs trained annually]. UNEDI.
World Economic Forum. (2023). The skills economy: What is it and what does it mean for talent? https://www.weforum.org/stories/2023/10/skills-economy-what-is-it/
