CASE STUDY 3 Babban Gona Babban Gona (“Great Farm”), a farmer-allied social enterprise co-owned by its members, exemplifies the role of social enterprises in job creation and economic transformation. Founded in 2010, it is dedicated to making smallholder agriculture a dignified, sustainable livelihood for at-risk youth and women in northern Nigeria. Its franchise model provides a comprehensive bundle of services, including credit for quality farm inputs, hands-on agronomy coaching, storage and coordinated sales. By aggregating production and timing sales, Babban Gona has successfully created 744,000 indirect jobs, enabled members to earn more than double the national average income and positively impacted more than 937,000 individuals, proving its power for sustainable development. Credit: Babban Gona, Nigeria Key insights BOX 2 The World Economic Forum’s The State of Social Enterprise global report estimates that social enterprises worldwide create approximately 200 million jobs.55 Combining the median figures from the table, African social enterprises create a total of roughly 12.1 million full-time and part-time jobs (8.1 million full-time plus 4 million part-time). When comparing these numbers, Africa’s social enterprises account for at least 6% of the total jobs created by the sector globally. This is a substantial contribution, especially considering that the estimated revenue for the African sector is only around 4.8% of the global total. This suggests that African social enterprises are highly effective at creating jobs relative to their revenue. These findings further demonstrate that social enterprises in Africa are pivotal actors in creating inclusive jobs. Their ability and focus on creating meaningful employment opportunities, particularly for marginalized communities, including women, youth and persons with disabilities, positions them as essential drivers of broad-based economic growth and societal progress. The State of Social Enterprise: Unlocking Inclusive Growth, Jobs and Development in Africa 27

State of Social Enterprise Africa 2025