Ukiyo, a South African educational technology company, has launched a mobile platform it says addresses a gap in how young people in the country access opportunities, from bursaries and accommodation to internships and mental health support.
The Global Student Support Platform (GSSP) combines scholarships, job listings, mentorship, wellness services, tutoring, and career development tools in a single app. Ukiyo is positioning it as a marketplace for youth development services, free for students to use.
The launch comes as South Africa‘s youth unemployment crisis deepens. In the first quarter of 2026, the unemployment rate of youth aged 15 to 24 in South Africa stood at 60.90%, while around 3.9 million young people in the same age bracket are classified as not being in employment, education, or training (NEET).
For Nozuko Mzamo, founder of Ukiyo, the issue is a lack of systems that connect ambitious young people to opportunities.
“South Africa does not have a shortage of ambitious young people. It has a shortage of integrated pathways into economic participation and systems that connect young people to what they need to succeed,” Mzamo said in a statement. “We built GSSP to support the full journey, from finding a place to study and securing education funding, to building a career and accessing mentorship.”
