The African Development Bank (AfDB), through its Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Multi-Donor Trust Fund (YEI MDTF), has allocated a grant of $999,000 to back an initiative aimed at fostering green employment opportunities for women, youth, and individuals with disabilities.
Dubbed the MicroGREEN project, this initiative seeks to stimulate inclusive economic growth by offering up to 500 green job opportunities and business support services to marginalized groups in Ghana and Senegal. The project targets women, youth, and individuals with disabilities or special needs engaged in managing natural resource sectors such as agroforestry, fisheries, and biodiversity.
Over a two-year period, the MicroGREEN project will equip at least 1,000 young individuals aged 15-35, with a focus on female youth (60%), individuals with disabilities or special needs (10%), and other youth (30%) in both countries, with entrepreneurship skills and business acumen.
Through capacity building and the utilization of value chain-based SME development models, the project aims to boost job creation, ensure the sustainability of micro-enterprises, and integrate beneficiaries into the economic landscape.
Administered by Invest in Africa, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting SME growth and fostering prosperous economies across the continent, the MicroGREEN project will leverage its expertise in market access, skills development, and finance to drive sustainable business growth and employment generation in Ghana and Senegal.
Established in 2017, the African Development Bank’s Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Multi-Donor Trust Fund is geared towards promoting innovation, entrepreneurship, and the creation of durable and sustainable jobs for youth in Africa. The fund provides grants to support the Bank’s Jobs for Youth in Africa Strategy programs and initiatives, which aim to generate 25 million jobs and equip 50 million youth with employable and entrepreneurial skills by 2025.
