With rapid technological growth, there is an increased opportunity to better link digital finance and business platforms for young entrepreneurs, especially in developing countries. This report provides trends related to youth entrepreneurship and financial inclusion in South Asia and South East Asia based on results from Findex and Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) survey data and qualitative insights from an online survey of 64 young entrepreneurs.

The objectives of this study were to (i) assess the participation of youth in fisheries and aquaculture, including opportunities and challenges for participation, (ii) understand what WorldFish and key partners (government organizations, nongovernmental organizations [NGOs] and others) are doing in the focal countries in relation to youth participation, and (iii) provide potential areas for further research that could support improved youth participation in aquaculture, small-scale fisheries, and value chains.

This report seeks to contribute to understanding how youth social entrepreneurship can both support youth development and help accelerate the implementation of the SDGs. To do so, the report synthesizes the current discussion on social entrepreneurship and anchors it in the context of the 2030 Agenda. The report then turns toward the youth situation and examines whether social entrepreneurship can offer employment opportunities and support other elements of youth development, such as youth participation. 

The toolkit provides a starting point for community leaders to learn about changes happening now that can provide insights about future changes in the nature and structure of work and related implications for youth and young adults in their communities.

This manual guides business development practitioners, the donor community, and other developmental experts wishing to implement an intervention to support and strengthen women growth-oriented entrepreneurs. It is specifically geared to practitioners wishing to improve their understanding of challenges specific to women entrepreneurs and practical ways of addressing these.

The study recommends four pathways for the private sector and development actors to serve and support youth: 1) Design for the full range of youth personas and pathways; 2) Customize value chain approaches to address key youth constraints; 3) Use digital solutions to reach youth affordability and at scale, with high potential for impact; 4) Capture opportunities beyond production as enablers.

The Finnish public employment services (PES), governed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (MEAE), has carried out a short mapping study on the state of the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in job matching and public employment services.

This study aims to identify what works, how and why to re-engage and retain out-of-school and at-risk adolescents and youth in education and explore for out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age by country income group.  

This report takes stock of the market for impact investing and examines the conditions that would allow the market to grow and realize its potential. Although still small, the market is attracting considerable interest, and it has the potential to increase in scale, and thereby contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris climate goals.

This diagnostic identifies opportunities to stimulate sustainable economic growth and development by harnessing the power of the private sector in Angola.

This diagnostic investigates whether opportunities exist for the private sector to contribute more substantially to Burkina Faso’s development.

The purpose of this diagnostic is to support Ethiopia’s transition to a private sector-driven growth model that advances the country’s development objectives and, in particular, delivers the necessary jobs. 

This diagnostic sheds light on how the private sector can more effectively contribute to advancing Kenya’s developmental goals. Applying a sectoral lens, it puts forward operational recommendations highlighting strategic entry points for diversification and growth and addresses key constraints to private sector engagement.

Country Private Sector Diagnostics (CPSDs) are jointly produced by IFC and the World Bank. They are a tool introduced to enable IFC and the World Bank to more systematically identify opportunities to help create or expand markets and private sector investment in developing countries.

The purpose of this report is to assess opportunities and constraints holding back private sector growth in Nepal. It conducts a diagnostic of the main cross-cutting constraints to private sector competitiveness and growth through data analysis, synthesis of existing research, and stakeholder consultations.

By assessing the landscape of private sector investment in the country, this diagnostic identifies specific constraints to private sector investment and productivity growth, concrete opportunities that could materialize in the short term, and the reforms that will enable this materialization.

This report focuses on the importance of youth for rural development, constraints that they face, and how to embed rural youth policy and investments in broader rural development strategies.

Using data collected from microenterprises in Gaborone, Botswana, this paper finds that women who cross over into male dominated sectors make higher profits and grow larger firms in terms of number of employees compared to women who operate businesses in female-concentrated sectors.

At the heart of the cultural and creative industries are people. Artists and creators who innovate, challenge norms, inspire and entertain. Their works generate new social energy, confidence and engagement that can improve the everyday lives of people. Their innovations and creative expressions drive development processes that can widen people’s choices and inspire them to imagine alternative futures. As such, the cultural and creative industries can contribute to the promotion of peace, democracy, human rights, fundamental freedoms, gender equality and the rule of law. 

This Guide provides a roadmap for local governments, communities and museums on how to define together a local development agenda. It considers five dimensions: 1. Leverage the power of museums for local economic development, 2. Build on the role of museums for urban regeneration and community development, 3. Catalyse culturally aware and creative societies, 4. Promote museums as spaces for inclusion, health and well-being, 5. Mainstream the role of museums in local development.