The African Development Bank has given the green light to a $999,000 grant to back a project aimed at nurturing green jobs for women, youth, and individuals with disabilities. The initiative, known as the MicroGREEN project, under the Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Multi-Donor Trust Fund (YEI MDTF), targets to create 500 green job opportunities and offer business development services to marginalized groups in Ghana and Senegal.
This inclusive project focuses on empowering women, youth, and individuals with disabilities/special needs engaged in managing natural resource sectors like agroforestry, fisheries, and biodiversity. Over the span of two years, MicroGREEN aims to equip at least 1,000 young individuals aged 15-35 with entrepreneurship skills and business training, with a focus on female youth-led ventures (60%), individuals with disabilities/special needs (10%), and other youth (30%) in both countries.
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By emphasizing capacity building and utilizing value chain-based SME development models, the project seeks to boost employment opportunities, ensure the sustainability of micro-enterprises, and integrate beneficiaries into the economic systems.
Implemented by Invest in Africa, a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering SME growth and economic prosperity across the continent, the MicroGREEN project will leverage its expertise in market access, skills development, and access to finance to drive sustainable business growth and job creation in Ghana and Senegal.
The Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Multi-Donor Trust Fund was established by the African Development Bank in 2017 with the aim of promoting innovation, entrepreneurship, and creating durable and sustainable jobs for youth in Africa. The MicroGREEN supports various programs and initiatives under the Bank’s Jobs for Youth in Africa Strategy, which targets to create 25 million jobs and equip 50 million youth with employable and entrepreneurial skills by 2025.