Africa Jobs Fund, which provides first-cheque funding from $10,000 to $100,000 and scale-up capital between $100,000 and $2,000,000, has invested in PeopleGateway, an Italian startup building the infrastructure for international labour mobility into Europe, starting with Italy. The investment will fund the company's first corridor, which trains hospitality workers on the Kenyan coast for jobs in Italian hotels and restaurants. PeopleGateway was founded by Daniele Albanese, a migration specialist with nearly two decades of experience.
Replacing a Fragmented Process
Moving a worker from one country into a job in another typically involves stitching together five to ten separate organisations, including training providers, immigration lawyers, travel agents, housing coordinators and integration support services. Every handover adds cost, delay and risk for employers and, above all, for workers. PeopleGateway replaces that chain with a single operator that coordinates the full mobility pathway, from home-country training and visa processing to relocation and post-arrival support.
Italy's Labour Shortage and Legal Pathway
Italy's working-age population is projected to fall from 37.2 million in 2024 to under 30 million by 2050. Employers are forecast to need between 3.3 and 3.7 million workers from 2025 to 2029, and 42 percent of companies already struggle to find required profiles. A legal change under Article 23, as amended by Law 50/2023, created a train-to-hire pathway allowing trained candidates to enter Italy outside the annual quota system.
Why the Kenyan Coast Offers an Advantage
The choice of Malindi draws on a six-decade connection to Italy that began with the San Marco space programme in the 1960s. Italian engineers and scientists working at the nearby Luigi Broglio Space Centre settled in the area, and a tourism economy built around Italian-owned hotels, restaurants and beach villas followed. Today, many hospitality workers around Malindi and Watamu already speak Italian and are familiar with Italian-run resorts, making the first corridor faster and lower-risk.
Projected Income Gains for Workers and Families
A hospitality worker in Malindi typically earns about 200 euros per month, while an Italian hotel or resort role starts at around 1,500 euros. After tax and social security, take-home pay can rise from roughly 170 euros to 1,300 euros, and free accommodation and meals add about 500 euros in monthly value. Remitting 15 percent of gross pay could raise each member of an average Kilifi County household's income by roughly two thirds.
Why Africa Jobs Fund Invested
Africa Jobs Fund backs pioneer firms that open new pathways for African workers to integrate with global demand. PeopleGateway connects an expert founder, a targeted legal framework, strong structural demand and an initial sourcing location with the linguistic and professional skills employers require. The investment is structured as revenue-based financing, allowing capital to be recycled into future ventures as the company grows.
A Repeatable Model for Labour Mobility
A successful Malindi corridor can serve as a repeatable model across other labour-scarce sectors in Italy, including care, construction and logistics. The framework could expand to additional African talent pools and European destination markets over time. Demonstrating a well-managed pathway helps prove to employers, investors and policymakers that African-European labour mobility can be secure, compliant and commercially viable.
A Broader Push into Labour Mobility
The PeopleGateway investment is one of nine initial bets made by Africa Jobs Fund since its launch in May 2026. The fund focuses on export manufacturing and international labour mobility as the most effective routes to poverty alleviation. It has also backed ventures training African nurses for German employers and a placement company focused on healthcare roles.
The PeopleGateway investment highlights Africa Jobs Fund's broader strategy of raising African worker incomes through scalable, high-impact ventures in export manufacturing and international labour mobility. PeopleGateway plans to track outcomes for workers, their families and employers as the first cohorts arrive in Italy. With strong employer demand and a newly opened legal route, the startup's progress could provide a blueprint for more inclusive and commercially sustainable migration corridors.