The African Development Bank (AfDB), through its Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Multi-Donor Trust Fund (YEI MDTF), has greenlit a $999,000 grant to bolster an initiative fostering environmentally friendly employment opportunities for women, youth, and individuals with disabilities, Graphic Online reports.
Dubbed the MicroGREEN project, the endeavor seeks to catalyze inclusive economic advancement by furnishing up to 500 green job openings and business support services to marginalized segments in Ghana and Senegal. Specifically targeting women, youth, and individuals with disabilities, the project will engage them in overseeing natural resource sectors such as agroforestry, fisheries, and biodiversity.
Over a two-year span, MicroGREEN aims to equip at least 1,000 youth (with female youth leading at 60%, individuals with disabilities comprising 10%, and other youth at 30%) in both nations with entrepreneurial acumen and business expertise.
Through a strategy centered on capacity building and leveraging value chain-based SME development models, the project endeavors to amplify job creation, fortify the sustainability of micro-enterprises, and integrate beneficiaries into economic frameworks.
Implemented by Invest in Africa, a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering SME growth and cultivating prosperous economies across the continent, the MicroGREEN project will harness its proficiency in market access, skills enhancement, and financial accessibility to drive sustainable business expansion and employment generation in Ghana and Senegal.
Established in 2017, the Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Multi-Donor Trust Fund by the African Development Bank aims to spur innovation, entrepreneurship, and enduring job creation for youth across the continent. The trust fund extends grants to bolster the Bank’s initiatives under the Jobs for Youth in Africa Strategy.
The Jobs for Youth in Africa Strategy endeavors to generate 25 million jobs and equip 50 million youth with employable skills and entrepreneurial acumen by 2025.
Source: Ghanaweb