A youth-driven development organization.
Masaf Development Organization (MASAF) began in April 2024 as Masaf Spaces — the first youth innovation and co-working hub in Ethiopia's Somali Region, headquartered in Jigjiga. As the work grew, we registered federally as a development organization so our skills, entrepreneurship, and resilience programming could scale across Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa.
From a single hub to a nationwide mission
We started because young people in the Somali Region had the ambition, creativity, and resolve to shape their future — but faced systemic barriers to skills, networks, and capital. The first MASAF Space became a proof point: when you combine inclusive space, practical training, and peer community, young people build real livelihoods. Today we carry that model into a full development organization.
“To empower youth and marginalized communities in Ethiopia — including women, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and persons with disabilities — by expanding access to skills, education, digital opportunities, and networks that create jobs, strengthen resilience, and drive inclusive development.”
Organizational Objectives
- 01
Expand access to quality skills and lifelong learning
Equip youth with employable and entrepreneurial capabilities aligned with today's economy.
- 02
Build inclusive economic opportunity
Open pathways for women, IDPs, and persons with disabilities into jobs, enterprise, and leadership.
- 03
Grow a resilient innovation ecosystem
Strengthen hubs, networks, and digital platforms that support young founders and creatives.
- 04
Deepen partnerships and co-creation
Work alongside civil society, government, private sector, and donors to multiply impact.
- 05
Generate and share learning
Produce research, tools, and models other practitioners can adapt for their own contexts.
Our Core Values
- Integrity
- We operate transparently, honor our commitments, and hold ourselves accountable to the communities we serve.
- Excellence
- We aim for the highest quality in programs, spaces, and research — never settling for what's merely adequate.
- Innovation
- We experiment, iterate, and adopt new tools and ideas to solve persistent problems in new ways.
- Inclusion & Equity
- We design for those most often left out. Access is the baseline; belonging is the goal.
- Collaboration
- We build with — not for — partners, communities, and young leaders who understand local realities best.
- Accountability
- We measure what matters, share what we learn, and adjust based on evidence.
- Empowerment
- We invest in people so they lead their own futures — and eventually, the futures of others.
Our Approach
- Co-design programs with the young people they serve
- Combine physical spaces with digital delivery for scale
- Partner with employers and ecosystems for real pathways
- Center women, IDPs, and persons with disabilities by default
- Measure livelihood outcomes, not activity counts
The Team
MASAF is led by a diverse team of development professionals, young leaders, and technologists drawn from across the Horn of Africa. We combine field experience in youth programs, livelihoods, and community resilience with fluency in digital product and ecosystem building.
Ahmed Taman Hasen
Founder & Executive Director