African Virtual Job Fair Attracting U.S. Firms

Web-based Job Fair Offers Employers Opportunities to Attract Global Talent Pool

SILVER SPRING, Md.,  -- Zebrajobs.com and the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) have spearheaded the inaugural African Virtual Job Fair (AVJF) to support the recruitment needs of U.S. and other international companies and organizations doing business in Africa. The African Virtual Job Fair will draw job seekers from around the globe as well as Africans in the Diaspora for career opportunities with public and private corporations and organizations operating across the continent.

The African Virtual Job Fair, to open on September 30, 2009 - December 31, 2009, provides corporations and organizations with tremendous advantages over traditional recruitment efforts. Among the cost-effective and efficient benefits of the AVJF:

• Enhancing visibility to professionals searching for opportunities in Africa
• Leveraging the global reach of the Internet to eliminate the constraints of physical boundaries while searching for candidates
• Screening candidates, collecting CVs/ Resumes, and conducting live chats to build a pool of qualified candidates for current and future hiring needs
• Increasing return on marketing dollars by eliminating travel expenses, cutting back on setup time, and reducing the cost of promotional materials
• Gaining the benefits of a physical job fair without the logistics

"Our vision behind the launch of this first-ever virtual job fair is focused on meeting multiple goals," explained Yusuf Reja, Chief Executive Officer of Zebrajobs.com. "We are committed to maintaining a climate that encourages U.S. and other foreign corporations and organizations to do business in Africa. Critical to this effort is having a talent base from which they can staff their operations. We also see the African Virtual Job Fair as a great opportunity to increase the number of jobs available for those unemployed throughout Africa and to reach out to Africans in the Diaspora and encourage them to return to their homeland."

Job seekers worldwide, from experienced professionals to recent graduates, will have access to the employment opportunities available from U.S. and other foreign corporations doing business in Africa, development organizations, the donor community, multinational organizations, international organizations, local private organizations, and government institutions. The Web-based job fair will enable prospective employees to search the job listings online, submit CVs/resumes, attend networking events, obtain career advisory services, and participate in interviews, all at no cost from home or office.

To announce the inaugural African Virtual Job Fair, representatives of U.S. corporations, international organizations, the donor community, and the African diplomatic mission participated in the launch event held in Washington, D.C. on May 14, 2009. Co-hosting the event were Jendayi Frazer, Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and Her Excellency Amina Salum Ali, the African Union Ambassador to the United States.

The African Virtual Job Fair will be powered by technology developed by InXpo, a leading provider of privately branded virtual events, including Virtual Career Fairs. InXpo's Virtual Career Fairs "enable companies to post positions and provide information to candidates about their company through easy-to-build virtual exhibit booths, while receiving resumes and engaging with interested candidates."

About Zebrajobs.com

Zebrajobs.com is a joint venture initiative between U.S.-based Danya International, Inc., and the Ethiopian-based company, Info Mind Solutions (IMS), the largest recruitment and human development agency in Ethiopia. Zebrajobs.com is an online platform for skilled professionals from multiple disciplines to register, create, and post personal profiles and resumes; receive e-mail alerts on African employment opportunities. Zebrajobs.com officially launched on December 10, 2007, at a joint press conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, held by cofounders Danya and IMS.