The African Development Bank’s Agriculture and Agro-industry Department (OSAN) in conjunction with the Ministry for the Promotion of Youth, Youth Employment, and Civic Engagement of Côte d’Ivoire held a workshop at the Bank in Abidjan on the 8th of July to reflect on the imperatives for the successful implementation of ENABLE Youth-Cote d’Ivoire (CI).
The Bank will work in close collaboration with the Consultative Group for International Agriculture Research to place young graduates in incubation centers where they will receive skilled training on the priority value chains.  The graduates will then be provided with assistance in developing bankable business plans and obtaining financing to launch their enterprises.
To further contribute to the success of the ‘agripreneurs’, the Bank will concomitantly work with its regional member countries to foster an enabling environment that clarifies land tenure, facilitates market access, creates incentives, eases regulations, and improves access to credit. In view of the 30 regional member countries, including Côte D’Ivoire, who have already expressed interest in the program, ENABLE Youth will seek to create 300,000 agricultural enterprises and 1.5 million jobs for youths across Africa over the next five years.
In his opening remarks, OSAN Director, Chiji Ojukwu, underscored the incredible opportunities provided by the agricultural sector to address youth unemployment in Africa: the sector is not only the largest in the economy, employing over 60% of Africans, it is also the most important in terms of job creation.Read More