The Asante Africa Foundation's 2023 Impact Report, "Rural Youth Breaking Barriers," highlights the transformative power of education in East Africa. By providing quality education and fostering entrepreneurship and leadership, AAF's programs empowered over 24,000 youth in 2023, creating lasting change and brighter futures. They acknowledge the need for continued support in education, mentorship, and youth empowerment to build a stronger Africa.
This discussion paper offers a set of reflections on the key issues related to the intersection of climate change, the green and blue economy, and youth employment. It offers a set of discussion questions related to youth’s participation in the green and blue economy and their leadership in a just transition.
The H&M Foundation's Saamuhika Shakti project (2020-2026) tackles social inclusion in India's textile recycling industry. This initiative empowers informal waste pickers, a marginalized group, by integrating them into the recycling value chain. By treating waste as a valuable resource, Saamuhika Shakti aims to create a more sustainable and equitable circular economy in India's textile sector.
This paper includes key recommendations for and considers the role of industry leaders, governments, education and training providers and civil society in closing the skills gap and championing VET for the circular economy.
This publication aims to inspire international development organisations, affected ministries such as ministries of economic affairs and ministries of culture, and the private sector to explore and implement initiatives that support the cultural and creative industries as an effective means of contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 6 (Gender Equality). I extend my deepest gratitude to everyone who has contributed to this publication. Be inspired and enjoy the read!
The guide is the result of a South-South exchange between technical advisors and representatives of youth organisations from Burkina Faso, Malawi, Mozambique and Kenya. It highlights their first-hand experiences and best practices on topics like leadership transition, recruitment of new members, the inclusion of women as well as strategies for the distribution of information among members.
This Note analyzes how Generative AI (GAI) will impact jobs, using a skills-based approach to categorize occupations as augmented by GAI, disrupted by automation, or minimally affected. While GAI is expected to enhance some jobs, a troubling gender gap emerges: women are more likely to hold jobs susceptible to disruption, while men are more likely to benefit from GAI-powered augmentation. This trend suggests GAI could widen the gender gap in the job market.
The knowledge product serves as an introduction to the strategies and approaches outlined within, offering practical guidance on facilitating access to finance for project beneficiaries. Developed through a transnational thematic working group on access to finance, the guide draws from the diverse experiences of the four country packages to provide policymakers and implementing organizations with valuable insights.
This how-to paper illustrates four innovative entrepreneurship trainings implemented within the 360° AgriJobs Approach that can help reach employment goals. The measures aim at enabling young men and women to gain a set of soft skills that allow them to identify and seize business opportunities, anticipate market changes, overcome barriers, and take initiative. Creativity, flexibility, resilience, communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and finance management are learnable skills to become a successful entrepreneur.
This how-to paper focuses on the promotion of digitalisation within rural youth employment programmes. Digitalisation in rural contexts can be complicated and requires tailored responses to be able to support youth and women in gaining better access to knowledge, information and job opportunities. Through successful planning and implementation, digital tools can help provide these opportunities. At the same time, they create more interesting and accessible routes in discovering youths’ employment potential – both locally and globally.
This how-to paper pragmatically defines what green jobs are within the agricultural sector and how the 360° AgriJobs Approach can help promote Green Skills and Jobs. The addition of concrete activities and lessons learned give real-life examples of how this is done in countries around the globe. Take a look and learn about the potential of green jobs in the agri-food sector.
The Report explores the challenges of youth unemployment for people with disabilities in South Africa. The high rate of youth unemployment is highlighted, despite employers reporting unfilled vacancies. The social model of disability is used to frame the analysis, arguing societal barriers are the main obstacle. These barriers include inaccessible workplaces and a lack of accessible education, significantly disadvantaging young people with disabilities. The report acknowledges employer challenges in finding qualified candidates. Legislative efforts to promote disability inclusion are also outlined.
Financial health for young entrepreneurs means that they are aware of and able to access appropriate resources required to start and grow their enterprises, can manage their business finances, and have confidence in their financial future. Youth Business International (YBI) and ten of its member organizations from Africa, Asia and Europe have developed an evidence-informed approach that can systematically improve how young entrepreneurs can be supported to access appropriate financial services and products.
This S4YE Knowledge Brief describes how The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation (the Foundation), an international charity and licensing body of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award (the Award); a Non-Formal Education and Learning framework for young people aged 14-24 years old, uses the Social Return on Investment (SROI) framework and has developed a social value methodology (SVM) to measure the impact that the Award has on its stakeholders, such as Award holders, adults who support Award delivery, and wider society. The Brief also shares useful recommendations for other youth organizations interested in measuring and enhancing their social value.
In this paper, Youth Business International (YBI) and Somo, YBI’s member organisation in Kenya, shine a light on the important role of informal businesses in sub-Saharan Africa and the barriers they face that prevent them from scaling up, with a particular focus on women-led informal businesses in Kenya. It includes recommendations for governments, financial institutions, and development agencies on ways to increase access to finance for informal businesses.
The indicator is part of the Circular Economy indicator set. It is used to monitor progress towards a circular economy on the thematic area of 'competitiveness and innovation'. Innovation and investments (on eco-design, on secondary raw materials, on recycling processes and on industrial symbiosis) are a key element of the transition to a circular economy. The circular economy can make a significant contribution to the creation of jobs and economic growth. Looking at jobs and growth of relevant sectors indicates whether the transition to a circular economy is delivering the expected results. Sectors that are closely related to the circular economy such as recycling, repair and reuse, are particularly job intensive, and contribute to local employment.
This Note is part of the Solutions for Youth Employment (S4YE) Knowledge Brief series that focuses on integrating a youth employment dimension and identifying opportunities in emerging sectors. Building upon S4YE’s Discussion Note on the Circular Economy, which aims to integrate the jobs agenda within the environment agenda, and the World Bank publication, "What a Waste 2.0”, this note focuses specifically on the waste sector. It emphasizes that the waste sector jobs agenda can lead to a triple win: creating employment opportunities, contributing to environmental protection, and improving public health. With a focus on the role of youth, the Note provides a global overview of waste generation and management and maps key actors along the waste value chain. It analyzes recent trends in the quantity and quality of jobs in the sector and discusses opportunities for job creation and improvements to working conditions with examples of policies and initiatives from diverse contexts.
This short note explains how the Biscate app addresses the challenge of connecting informal workers with local clients through a user-friendly platform that does not require internet access or smartphones. In partnership with GIZ, Biscate is expanding its reach to rural areas, enhancing job prospects for informal workers and stimulating economic growth in remote regions.
Social insurance schemes, traditionally built for stable, employer-employee jobs, often do not fit the reality of gig or self-employed workers with fluctuating incomes. This S4YE short note offers key design insights for reimagining social insurance products for self-employed, low-income, and/or gig workers. inspired by the "sachet revolution."
This Short Note focuses on violence and harassment in the workplace. It explores how these issues can be managed through occupational safety and health (OSH) measures. The report examines regulatory frameworks, policies, programs, and improved OSH management systems as potential solutions to address violence and harassment. It also highlights specific situations where workers might be more vulnerable, such as those in contact with the public.
